NBA: One thing that sits atop every team’s 2020-21 Christmas wishlist

Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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LaMelo Ball
Charlotte Hornets LaMelo Ball (Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports)

Charlotte Hornets

Christmas wishlist: LaMelo Ball takes the league by storm 

There might not be a bigger wish for the Charlotte Hornets this Christmas season than for LaMelo Ball to take the NBA by storm and emerge as a young star. The Hornets have been an afterthought in the league for quite a while and after trading Kemba Walker last offseason, Charlotte has been searching for a new face of the franchise.

The Hornets need LaMelo to be a hit. After being third overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Charlotte has high hopes for the third Ball brother. He has a high ceiling and has already shown flashes of brilliance through the first two games in the team’s preseason slate.

If he continues to improve and can be a stable part of the team’s contributing core, the Hornets will be well on their way back to relevance in the Eastern Conference – a place that the Hornets haven’t been in since the 2015-16 season (in which they finished tied for third in the conference).

The Hornets need LaMelo Ball to be a star.