LaMelo Ball is red-hot and is quieting his doubters during his rookie season
The LaMelo Ball show is amazing and just getting started
Entering this season, one of the biggest questions revolved around how LaMelo Ball would make the transition from the NBL to the NBA. It was easy to see his raw, natural talent on full display anytime he would play basketball, but many questioned whether the Charlotte Hornets would be able to translate that into superstar potential.
While we still don’t know if Ball will end up being a superstar in a few years, what we do know about Ball right now is that he’s a good player. In fact, many are already probing whether he’s already a better player than his brother, Lonzo Ball.
LaMelo Ball has his flashes on and off through the first quarter of the season, but over the two weeks, he’s taken his game to another level.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
Over his last eight games, Ball has been on a tear. It seems like after being elevated to a starter and playing a bit more minutes, something has clicked for LaMelo. And the Hornets have been big beneficiaries.
Over the course of the last eight games, Ball has become the Hornets’ leading-scorer while averaging 22 points, seven assists, and five rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from 3-point range. He’s averaging 33 minutes per game and, perhaps most importantly, the team is 5-3 in that stretch.
At 12-14, I don’t think anyone is expecting the Hornets to make the playoffs this season. Although, with the way LaMelo Ball is playing all bets are off. Ball is proving all the naysayers wrong and is flashing the star potential that many projected in him coming out of the draft.
Considered one of the biggest risks heading into the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball is beginning to prove the Hornets right. The greatest part of this recent hot streak from Ball is that he’s barely scratching the surface on the player he can be at full development.
The Charlotte Hornets took a big gamble by selecting LaMelo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, especially when there were other more “NBA ready” prospects still on the board. Ball, though, might be a bit ahead of schedule and is already leaving his mark in the NBA.
Next. Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 reasons why the Cavs shouldn’t trade Kevin Love at the deadline. dark
If he can continue to play at this level for the remainder of the season, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate the way we look at the Charlotte Hornets.