The Charlotte Hornets found themselves a gem when they decided to select LaMelo Ball with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Believe it or not, that night happened barely a year ago (on November 18th, 2020).
LaMelo Ball is having an All-NBA caliber season
Since that point, LaMelo Ball won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award – and is currently the best player on a roster that finds itself winning basketball games against tough competition.
For the Hornets – Ball is one of the main reasons the team is winning games. He provides incredible playmaking and scoring from the point guard position, while also making plays that don’t show up on the stat sheet. He’s a talent unlike anything the franchise has had in their history.
The Charlotte Hornets have put a lot of faith into their player development program, and LaMelo Ball has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. This season, he is averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game on shooting splits of 43/39/93.
That’s really good – it’s almost identical statistics to what James Harden is doing for the Brooklyn Nets this season.
A season-high 32 PTS from @MELOD1P lifts the @hornets to their fifth-straight victory. pic.twitter.com/g5t4mZNa6X
— NBA (@NBA) November 20, 2021
In addition to just counting stats, Ball is dominating advanced metrics, too. He is top-15 in both Box-plus-minus and Value over Replacement Player (VORP).
Even when LaMelo Ball isn’t having a good shooting game, he’s seemingly doing something great – whether it be passing or rebounding. Ball has had two games with 16 or more rebounds this season, as well as two games of 13 or more assists, as well.
LaMelo Ball embodies what it means to be an NBA superstar
There is a lot to like about what LaMelo Ball is doing in his second NBA season – but it’s important to keep in mind that he still has not had a full-length NBA offseason over his entire NBA career. Ball was playing in games about a month after he was drafted, and this past offseason was remarkably short in the league’s attempt get back to the standard NBA calendar.
Off the court, LaMelo Ball is every bit of the superstar persona – he’s been famous for years as a result of his high school playing days (and being a part of the Ball family, of course).
The Hornets have their superstar in LaMelo Ball, and the national media seems to be taking notice of it. Whether Ball ends up making an All-NBA team after this season will be determined by his performance over the course of this season, but things are looking up.