LaMelo Ball, cut for the All-Star Game | NBA

Among the last-minute calls to deal with the various absences, LaMelo Ball has taken another step in his rise in the NBA. Elected “Rookie of the Year” last season, the leader of the Hornets has indeed confirmed this financial year 2021/22 and was rewarded with his first star, with a rather successful performance last night, at 18 points, 3 rebounds , 3 assists and 3 steals in 22 minutes.

With his spectacular game and his inspirations, Lonzo Ball’s little brother is made for this kind of meeting. “His feeling, his IQ for the game, his ability to make his teammates better, it’s obvious every time you see him play”said Erik Spoelstra after the last confrontation with the Heat.

In this match, LaMelo Ball therefore distinguished himself, as when he passed the ball between his legs before sending Dejounte Murray to the alley-oop, a gesture on the way to becoming his “signature move”. We can also mention that he did not lose any ball, in addition to having finished third best scorer of “Team Durant”.

“He reminds me a lot of Jason Williams, the ‘White Chocolate’,” added Tyronn Lue, Clippers coach. “The way he plays, it makes him fun to watch. It is entertaining, spectacular. I think in addition to his passing ability, his instincts, he has a great talent for offensive rebounds. I believe he’s at 1.7 offensive rebounds per game. He pushes the ball and I think he has really improved on his shot, which is the most important thing. He’s a badass. It’s fun to play with him. He’s very exciting to watch and like I said, he’s a very, very good player.”

Learn from other league stars

As for his shooting, LaMelo Ball indeed offered a good repetition by finishing at 7/11 in shooting, including a nice 4/8 from 3-pointers. More accustomed to speaking with his hands than when handed a microphone, the leader still appreciated this moment marking a new milestone in his young career.

“I really thought it was great, the new games and all that. I thought that was cool. The whole experience was just awesome. It was amazing. I feel blessed. It was just a great experience”, did he let go.

As his coach had mentioned, the meeting of the stars was also a great opportunity for him to gain experience. By rubbing shoulders with the best, but above all by trying to learn alongside them.

“The first thing is to have fun. But then it’s being able to rub shoulders with some of these great players. You can’t reach them all, but, but listen to them. How do they work? How do they work? What does work look like for them? I think soaking up that knowledge from top players will be very important to him as he develops. Melo is 20 years old and he benefits from this experience around these men who have been there for years and are still playing at a very high level..

James Borrego now hopes that his protege will come back even better to attack a second part of the season where the stakes will be high on the side of Charlotte.