Given his success this season, it’s sometimes easy to forget that LaMelo Ball is a rookie. But as the Hornets take the court for Tuesday’s play-in game, they will be led by a 19-year-old playing in just his 52nd in the NBA.
Ball’s up-and-down season has a clear inflection point of his wrist injury that sidelined him for more than a month in the middle of the season. Flying high prior to the injury, Ball has struggled to find that consistency post-injury. He’s shooting just 38.4% from the field and 24.4% from the 3-point line in the 10 games since returning.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Hornets head coach James Borrego talked about how Ball can break out of his funk.
“Just keep playing, keep shooting the ball,” he said. “Obviously – I’m stating the obvious here – he’s coming off major wrist surgery and we knew this was going to be a process. But all this experience is worth it all. This is all a great training ground for Melo, not only for this year but for years to come. I love him being in these moments. (The wrist) may not feel 100 percent. Only LaMelo knows where he’s at with the wrist. I can’t speak to that. But I want him to stay aggressive, look for his shot, be aggressive.”
Specifically speaking, Borrego talked about Ball attacking the rim to not only just score but create for teammates as well. While Ball has shot just 40% at the rim since his return, down from the 57% he shot pre-injury. Still, in getting to the rim, Ball is able to make decisions that create opportunities for the Hornets.
“Number one is get to the rim, though and create,” Borrego said. “That’s where he can be at his best for us is creating for not only himself but for others. He’s got the size, the ability, the passing, all those traits that we saw throughout the season, we need him to do that here tonight and be at his best. If he has his shot, he’s got to take it. We believe in him. We trust him. He’s a very confident kid. He’s not going to shy away from taking shots. We know that.”
More than how he approaches the game as a scorer, Ball getting the experience of playing in a high-intensity, playoff-like environment and atmosphere is one of the biggest positives for Borrego.
“This is all just great training ground and a great process for him to go through right now,” he said. “It’s wonderful, man. He’s a 19-year-old kid, rookie, and it doesn’t get any better than this. He’ll be ready for the moment.”
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