LaMelo Ball triple-double: There’s some Larry Johnson-special in this Hornets rookie
Ten games into his NBA career, the only thing LaMelo Ball lacks is self-doubt.
We can all marvel at what he’s doing. Ball expects it. Become the youngest player in NBA history to assemble a triple-double? Why not. Lift the Charlotte Hornets to a 5-5 record? What’s the big deal.
“I live my life and I know what I’m capable of, so stuff doesn’t really move me like that,” Ball said about reflection after the Hornets’ 113-105 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Friday, in New Orleans, Ball came one assist short of a triple-double against the Pelicans and his older brother, Lonzo. Saturday, he completed that feat with more than five minutes remaining, to total 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. At 19 years and four months, he is the youngest to do it, replacing Orlando’s Markelle Fultz.
It had been nearly two years since a Hornet last assembled a triple-double (Nic Batum in March of 2018). It’s important to note this wasn’t like stat-hunting; Ball’s production was essential to the Hornets winning their third straight game to reach .500.
His teammates certainly grasp that.
“We love him here and he’s playing his butt off,” said forward-center P.J. Washington. “I’m just glad he’s on our team.”
LJ-like
Ball was the third overall draft pick. He was supposed to be good. But not this good this fast.
Particularly when you consider he had no summer league, due to the pandemic, and just two weeks between the Hornets drafting him and the start of training camp. Ball went nearly a year before that without playing a game, after his abbreviated season in Australia.
Ball plays every game like he knows he’ll excel. The only Hornets rookie I’d compare that to was Larry Johnson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 draft. Johnson had so much talent, combined with such confidence and charisma, that he immediately became Charlotte’s centerpiece without any veterans feeling put out.
Ball doesn’t come off as smug or presumptive to teammates. Rather, he’s quick to pick their brains about whatever they know that he doesn’t about the NBA.
“He’s just coming here learning, asking a lot of questions,” Washington described. “He wants to be the best version of himself.”
Coaching isn’t coddling
There’s a perception among some Hornets fans that coach James Borrego is holding Ball back by not starting him yet. I think starting is inevitable. I also think that when Ball plays 31 minutes -- as he did Saturday -- he is a starter in every sense except hearing his name announced before games.
Borrego doesn’t lack excitement about Ball’s rapid development. Sometimes, Borrego is as struck and delighted by it as fans are.
“A 19-year-old rookie does not look like this. This is just rare, what you’re seeing,” Borrego said. “He’s humble, he’s genuine, he’s coachable and I’ll leave it there.”
That doesn’t make him perfect. Rookies, even the true prodigies, should be coached hard. In Ball’s case, it’s a reminder after a bad 3-pointer early in the shot clock or a missed defensive assignment. Ball plays under more control than he did in the preseason games, but he still has moments that require correction. Borrego is going to do that by sitting him intermittently for a chat.
That’s not disrespect of his talent, it’s coaching. Borrego appreciates how good Ball can be. Coddling him would just be counterproductive to facilitating that.
As Washington said, Ball aspires to “be the best version of himself.” Borrego holding him accountable is the best way for that to happen.
This story was originally published January 10, 2021 at 9:48 AM.
