LaMelo Ball made history on Wednesday with his 22-point, 8-rebound, 5-assist performance against the Dallas Mavericks, the best game of his young rookie season.
He became the first Hornets rookie since Kemba Walker in 2012 to record 15 points, five rebounds and five assists and the first to finish with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists since Kendall Gill in 1991.
On top of making Hornets history, Ball joined a host of other standout players to record 20 points, five rebounds and five assists inside their first four NBA games. Among the list of most recent players to achieve that feat is a number of familiar names, ranging from Ben Simmons to brother Lonzo Ball to MVPs in Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
Not trying to make a point with this tweet, but thought this was an interesting stat pic.twitter.com/pDU8ZFEOFs
— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) December 31, 2020
Looking back at the start of Lonzo’s career, his performance came in the second game of the season against the Phoenix Suns. The difference for him is that it was his lone double-digit scoring performance in his first six games and one of only two in his first 11 games.
LaMelo, meanwhile, already has a pair of double-digit scoring games, though he also has a scoreless performance in his opener. Ultimately, the single game doesn’t mean much but given the names he’s joining on the list of recent players to do so, it’s certainly a good omen to his career.