LaMelo Ball had a disastrous NBA debut on Wednesday night. After entering the league with a ton of hype, the youngest Ball brother struggled mightily against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his first ever regular season game.
Ultimately, he went scoreless in 16 minutes of action, shot the ball a mere five times, recorded three total assists and just one rebound.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Ball was done for good.
This sequence from LaMelo 😅 pic.twitter.com/3z0S1B7A9P
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 24, 2020
After the game, Hornets star Gordon Hayward gave his very honest reaction to Ball’s performance.
“I told him just to forget this one,” Hayward said.
“There’s going to be so many nights where he is, you know, playing his game and playing really well. So, I said ‘Don’t worry about this one at all. We all know the type of player that you are.’
“Some days are diamonds, some days are stones and I think it’s something where it’s his first game and, you know, those things happen,” he continued.
“But I have ultimate confidence in LaMelo. I think he’s going to be a great player this year and for many, many years and a great player in this league and so I think he’ll be all right.”
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 23, 2020
Interestingly enough, bad debuts are not uncommon for the Ball family.
Lonzo, who was taken with the No. 2 pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 draft, scored three points in 29 minutes in his first regular season game. He ended up shooting 1-for-6 from the field that night, while also chipping in four assists, one steal and two turnovers.
In his next outing, Lonzo scored 29 points with 11 rebounds and nine assists.
Will something similar happen to the youngest Ball brother this weekend?
Time will tell.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
