From nearly the moment they appeared in a preseason game together, Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball had a chemistry that has resulted in as many exciting highlights as it has in success. Initially starting on the bench together, Ball and Bridges provided a 1-2 punch that proved potent for the Hornets.
That chemistry, though, wasn’t automatic. While publicly it looked like the two never missed a beat, it wasn’t quite as immediate as it may look. On the Buzz Beat podcast on Wednesday, Bridges revealed a story of his first practice during the preseason alongside Ball.
“He’s always one step ahead of the defense and…he’s a really smart player. It was crazy in our first practice, I missed like three passes from him and he was like ‘Bro, always look at me. I’m always looking at you.’ So, ever since then, I always look. We have a great chemistry going.”
The two ironed things out on the court and haven’t missed a beat since. This season, Ball has 35 assists to Bridges, the most of any Hornet teammate which shouldn’t come as a surprise given how much the two have played together. Through Monday’s game against the Jazz, Ball and Bridges have been on the court together 596 minutes, second-most of any two-man pairing on the Hornets this season.
Fortunately for Ball, Bridges, the Hornets and the fans, the two haven’t had many issues since that first practice and have dazzled since.