On Monday, LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets (6-5) continued their winning ways after defeating the New York Knicks to move above .500 for the first time this season. The victory marks their fourth straight, the longest since they won four consecutive games from April 3-9, 2019.
Ball produced eight points, a career-high 14 rebounds, seven assists and three steals in 29 minutes during the 109-88 win. He became the first rookie guard in team history to haul in at least 10 rebounds in three consecutive games and his 14 rebounds are the most by a Hornets rookie since Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 14 on April 5, 2013.
The 14 rebounds grabbed by Ball were the most by a rookie in the NBA this season, topping his previous mark of 12 on Saturday versus the Atlanta Hawks. Of the five highest rebounding performances this season by a rookie, Ball has three of them. Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman (11) and Detroit Pistons guard Saddiq Bey (10) hold the other two.
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Unsurprisingly, Ball leads all rookies in rebounding following his latest performance.
On the season, he is averaging 12.4 points, seven rebounds, six assists and 1.6 steals off the bench in 11 games played. To put his numbers into context, he ranks 49th in rebounding and 23rd in assists among all players in the NBA.
The third overall pick has played like perhaps the top rookie this season, and his emergence has helped the Hornets off to a great start. His development throughout the year will be fun to watch as he continues to improve each time he steps onto the court.
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