LaMelo Ball latest NBA career milestone came on Monday when he started his first game against the Miami Heat. Ball took Terry Rozier’s spot in the lineup after he suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday’s win over the Bucks.
In his first start, Ball had an up-and-down performance. After starting positively, Ball picked up two fouls in the first quarter in a 51-second span served as shackles on him for the rest of the night.
Still, Ball finished the night with 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds while shooting 3-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 from the line in 31 minutes in a game the Hornets won in overtime, 129-121.
“I thought he had a solid game,” head coach James Borrego said. “He got into foul trouble. I think that hurt his rhythm a little bit early. He made some big plays for us down the stretch. I trust him out there. He fits with that group. So, I thought it was a very good start for him. I thought overall, the foul trouble probably disrupted him a little bit early but he helped us close that game. He was very good down stretch.”
Ball finished with a plus-minus of -6 on the night but still was effective late in the game. In the closing minutes of regulation and through the overtime period, Ball stayed on the floor despite having five fouls from the 8:11 mark on in the fourth.
Despite it being a milestone night, Ball’s mindset on the night did not change even if he wasn’t coming off the bench for the first time.
“I ain’t even look at it like that,” Ball said. “This is another game and (I’m) just playing basketball. Whenever I get out there, I try my best. It’s like another game.
“I mean, whenever we win, no matter how I play, I’m going to have a good time. I love winning and we got that tonight so I’m walking out of here happy.”
For one of the teammates he’s closest to in Malik Monk, who scored a career-high 36 points in Monday’s win, Ball looked a bit nervous on the night.
“It’s his first start, I saw a little nerves,” Monk said. “I think he was a little nervous. He won’t say he is but I saw it a little bit.
“He just needs to calm his nerves down and that’s going to come with experience and time and years.”
Overall, it was a positive performance for the rookie as he further gained trust from his head coach. However, with Rozier listed as questionable coming into Monday’s game, should he be available on Wednesday, Ball would likely return to the bench.