LaMelo is Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month

[Captain Morgan]

February 2, 2021 – The NBA announced today that Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball has been named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played Tuesday, December 22 through Sunday January 31st. Ball is the eighth Hornets rookie to win Rookie of the Month honors and the fourth rookie in franchise history to win Rookie of the Month in the first month it was awarded.

During the Hornets 20 games played from Dec. 22 to Jan. 31, Ball helped guide the Hornets to a 9-11 record (.450), tied for the seventh best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference. He ranked third in points (12.2), second in rebounds (5.9), first in assists (6.1) and first in steals (1.5) per game among rookies while ranking tied for 17th in assists and tied for 13th in steals per game in the NBA over that time.

Ball totaled 243 points, 118 rebounds and 121 assists in his first 20 games, making him just the seventh player with at least 225 points, 115 rebounds and 115 assists through the player’s first 20 career games.

[Shocker]

Lamelo has changed the course of this franchise.  Haven’t been this excited about the team since the LJ Zo days.

[The Huddler]

Excited to watch

[Zod]

Easy choice. It is about time the Hornets hit the target with a draft pick. 

[bLACKpANTHER]

Mitch da God

[t96]

So glad the Timberwolves and Warriors psyched themselves out of taking him, for whatever reason. On the court he was clearly the best player in the draft, and it wasn't even close.

[rippadonn]

I've said on this here site, at worst Livingston, at best Magic.

At 6'8" playing point guard and these passes?! Magic.

[rippadonn]

55 minutes ago, bLACKpANTHER said:

Mitch da God

I'm so glad to see guys come back to the Carolinas as make such a huge difference. MJ deserves credit too, our court, our uniforms, fire! MJ deserves credit for bringing our history back in the name of the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo's jersey is soon to be everywhere. This is remeniscent of the early Hornets when teal and purple went worldwide.

[kmgreensman]

The two things that surprised me about Lemello is his defense and rebounding. I always knew he could pass and dribble and score but he is a difference maker on defense and those quirky defensive plays where he just catches them off guard and steals it. I see a lot of people try to do this but he is so much more successful.

 

He also just ends up where the ball comes off the rim. At such a young age he is figured out so many little things about the game. I watched him away from the ball on defense the other night and he is constantly trying to find opportunities to leave his man and catch someone off guard.

If he learns how to shoot from three he will be so so good in this league. I love how he is not overly cocky but sure of himself.. 

[t96]

1 hour ago, kmgreensman said:

The two things that surprised me about Lemello is his defense and rebounding. I always knew he could pass and dribble and score but he is a difference maker on defense and those quirky defensive plays where he just catches them off guard and steals it. I see a lot of people try to do this but he is so much more successful.

 

He also just ends up where the ball comes off the rim. At such a young age he is figured out so many little things about the game. I watched him away from the ball on defense the other night and he is constantly trying to find opportunities to leave his man and catch someone off guard.

If he learns how to shoot from three he will be so so good in this league. I love how he is not overly cocky but sure of himself.. 

I was never concerned about his defense. With his length at PG and his work ethic and love for the game of basketball I figured that he'd be at least consistently solid on D after a few years. But yeah I did not expect him to be this good defensively this soon in his career, especially after such a limited offseason due to COVID. He still gets lost a ton and gets too aggressive going for steals, but I think he has a realistic chance of becoming one of the top defensive guards in the league if he commits to learning and continues to grow at the pace he already has.

 

As for rebounding I figured because of his size he'd contribute there but I agree I never thought he'd be this tenacious of a rebounder. He just attacked the damn ball whenever it's there, offensive end and defensive end. Huge positive so far and gotta think he'll only get better in this regard too as he adds some more weight and strength.

 

The shot is still my biggest concern. He's shown he can finish at the rim and get to the basket and he'll only get better at that with added strength, but for him to really take that step forward into that elite tier in today's NBA he needs to really improve his shot. It's better than I thought it would be but it's still pretty ugly. If he can develop a consistent shot from deep and mid-range, he could be a top 5-10 player in the league easily. Everything so far has been extremely encouraging, we'll see how far he can take it.

Edited February 3, 2021 by t96

[bLACKpANTHER]

23 hours ago, bLACKpANTHER said:

Mitch da God

why does @Wolfcop hate Mitch?
Things I need to know......