LaMelo Ball not voted to NBA All-Star Game. Hornets will again be unrepresented
LaMelo Ball is going to have to wait for his first All-Star nod.
The reserves for both conferences were announced Thursday night on TNT and the Charlotte Hornets point guard was not among those selected by the coaches.
Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Cleveland’s Darius Garland, Miami’s Jimmy Butler, Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton, Boston’s Jayson Tatum, Brooklyn’s James Harden and Toronto’s Fred VanVleet are headed to Cleveland as reserves for the Feb. 20 game to represent the Eastern Conference instead of Ball.
For now, he’ll have to settle for being a part of the Clorox Rising Stars, which takes place Feb. 18.
Ball’s fellow alley-oop mate Miles Bridges didn’t get chosen, either. Bridges finished seventh among frontcourt players in the voting for starters. He’s having his best season in his four-year career, averaging 19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists heading into their game against Cleveland on Friday.
Ball is coming off a career-best 38 points in the Hornets’ loss in Boston on Wednesday. It was the fifth consecutive game he’s posted at least 20 points, which ties for the longest stretch of his career. The last time that happened came right before he broke his wrist nearly a year ago, an injury that proved difficult for the Hornets to overcome and led to them faltering toward a play-in tournament berth.
With four triple-doubles already under his belt, which is tops among first- and second-year players, Ball has improved in many ways this season. As one of only eight players throughout the league with four or more triple-doubles, he’s doing it all for the Hornets. He’s averaging 19.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He’s 10th in assists and sits 14th in rebounds.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green joined TNT’s broadcast Thursday night and was surprised neither Ball nor Bridges made the team, but theorized that the two split votes, ultimately hurting the Hornets’ chances.
Compared to other first- and second-year players, Ball ranks first in assists, second in points, third in steals and sixth in rebounds. At his current pace, he would become just the fourth player to average at least 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and 1.5 steals in each of his first two seasons in the NBA.
Earlier Thursday before the announcement was handed down, coach James Borrego said if neither Ball nor Bridges were selected, it would simply serve as more fuel for the duo. Having them even be so strongly considered should signal a bright future for the franchise.
“Well, we’re making progress,” Borrego said. “We’re heading in the right direction. That’s the best way I can put it. We’re trending the right way, we’re moving in the right direction. We have some valuable pieces now in this organization. I think we’ve drafted well, we’ve developed well. We’re stayed together and our guys are being recognized for that.
“So that’s a positive for us. I’m thrilled for those guys just to be in that conversation, but at the end of the day these guys want to win. And that’s the No. 1 factor right now.”
The Hornets’ last All-Star was Kemba Walker during the 2018-19 season, a game which took place in Charlotte.
