The Charlotte Hornets are going to be one of the NBA’s most interesting teams over the next few years.
Even though they are clearly still a long ways away from legitimately competing in the Eastern Conference, the additions of Gordon Hayward and LaMelo Ball should at the very least make them fun to watch.
Ball has already made history once this year, and the feat was impressive enough for even LeBron James to notice. Aside from getting into a weird fight with teammate Bismack Biyombo, there are really no blemishes on his record.
This week, Hayward spoke with Sam Amick of The Athletic and offered his honest thoughts on Ball.
“Yeah, I think LaMelo is going to be really good in this league for a lot of years,” he said.
“He’s got great size. More than anything, he has great feel for the game. He’s kind of like — to me, he’s got that same type of feel as like (Dallas’) Luka (Doncic), as (Washington’s) Russ (Westbrook), where they just are around the ball and the ball kind of just comes to them.
Paulina Gretzky knows what she’s doing. https://t.co/dKgyb7yRxN
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 22, 2021
“With rebounds and (being able) to make the right plays and always kind of being at that right position, to me he has that same type of feel and energy for the game. I think he’s gonna be really good.”
So far this year Ball is averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists through his first 14 games, and his Hornets are just one game back of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte obviously is nowhere near close to contending for the Eastern Conference crown, but you have to start somewhere. And currently the franchise has an excellent veteran and a very solid rookie it can build around, which is about the most you can ask for when you’re the Hornets.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
