Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

LaMelo Ball drawing rave reviews entering rookie season

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 12/23/20

LaMelo Ball hopes to make a significant impact in his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets, and it sounds like the team expects him to do just that based on what he has shown in training camp.

In advance of Charlotte’s season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, a Hornets source told ESPN’s Jordan Schultz that he has been blown away by Ball’s court awareness. The source also raved about the way the 19-year-old has carried himself.

More on LaMelo from #Hornets’ source:

“Crazy feel for where everyone is on the court and anticipation of what they will do.”

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) December 23, 2020

The “baggage” that was referred to probably has more to do with LaMelo’s father, LaVar, who is extremely outspoken and fancies himself a reality TV star. The elder Ball recently unloaded on the Detroit Pistons for releasing his other son LiAngelo.

LaMelo is a raw prospect, which was to be expected considering he is just 19 and played overseas before he was drafted. His shooting was erratic during the preseason, but teammates and head coach James Borrego have gushed about Ball’s playmaking ability.

James Borrego explained that Lamelo Ball has “elite” play making – he’s blown away with his vision and ability to see guys open, saying that guys always need to have their hands ready bc he’ll fire the ball and find you open in a split second. #Hornets

— Jack Duffy (@JackDuffySI) December 5, 2020

While there will be some growing pains with Ball, the Hornets clearly think he can be special. LaMelo is going to be given plenty of opportunities to show what he can do as a rookie.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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