Gordon Hayward compares LaMelo Ball to Russell Westbrook, Luka Doncic: ‘He has that it factor’

In discussing LaMelo Ball’s start to his rookie campaign, Gordon Hayward compared him to a pair of superstar and MVP-caliber guards.

Through the opening 18 games of the season, LaMelo Ball has left quite a mark on his team, teammates and the NBA. He’s had historical nights for both his futility and his excellence with plenty of highs and lows in-between.

Through it all, he’s shown his potential in spurts and flashes. One of the teammates he’s spent the most time on the court with, Gordon Hayward, spoke about Ball’s future after practice on Thursday.

“I think LaMelo is somebody that has that, just, ‘it’ factor, like that feel for the game,” he said. “I think I’ve said it before but he seems to have the same type of feel as a (Russell Westbrook), as a Luka (Doncic) where they’re just around the ball, they somehow get around the ball to make plays, to get rebounds. Just being in the right spot at the right time.”

Hayward has played with a number of young, talented guards during his time in the league, ranging from Marcus Smart and Kyrie Irving in Boston to Deron Williams in his rookie season in Utah. He’s also played against a large, large number of young and old guards like the ones mentioned, giving him plenty of experience to speak off of when discussing Ball.

Considering the two of them will likely be tied together as both came in during the same off-season and each represents part of the future for the Hornets, that Hayward thinks Ball’s future is a bright one is encouraging both for his future with the team and the franchise’s as a whole.

“LaMelo is a lot taller than I thought he was,” he said. “Certainly, he’ll put on some more weight and get a little bit stronger as he gets older. I think we all go through that. But he’s got great speed, he gets to his spots. The game will eventually get to a point where he’ll be able to control it a lot more and be able to dictate when he uses his speed, when he slows it down, kind of controlling the pace of the game, controlling the team.

“He’s got a great feel and IQ for such a young age so that’ll come pretty soon for him. I think the future is very bright for this guy as long as he keeps working. He can do a lot of things in this league.”