No. 3 overall pick LaMelo Ball went scoreless on Wednesday in the Charlotte Hornets’ season opener, becoming the first top-three pick since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013 to record zero points in his NBA debut.
Ball missed all five shot attempts from the floor while he dished out three assists and had two steals in nearly 16 minutes of work off the bench during the 121-114 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also committed three turnovers to cap off a forgetful debut.
The 19-year-old also joined Hashem Thabeet (2009) and Greg Oden as the other top-three picks to go scoreless in a debut game over the last 15 seasons, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
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After the game, Hornets forward Gordon Hayward offered some words of encouragement to Ball and told him to forget the game and move onto the next one. The benefit of the NBA schedule is teams have a quick turnaround in between games and Ball can begin to put his debut behind him.
Ball showed flashes of being a dynamic playmaker during the preseason and will certainly have his chances to help the Hornets this year. The transition won’t happen overnight but he will have his next opportunity on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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