LaMelo Ball had a rough NBA debut, going scoreless and shooting 0-of-5 in 16 minutes off the bench. His defensive struggles, and a good guard rotation in Charlotte, is keeping his minutes down.
Ball looked better in his second game, getting his first NBA point on a free throw, then minutes later got his first NBA bucket on a driving layup midway through the first quarter.
Tough finish by LaMelo for his first NBA bucket 🔥 pic.twitter.com/KbiyUUY3lc
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 27, 2020
That seemed to open the floodgates for LaMelo as he drained a deep three not much later, on his way to nine first quarter points to lead Charlotte.
First official 👌 for @MELOD1P!#AllFly | @HornetsOnFSSE pic.twitter.com/brU1F0NQVR
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 27, 2020
Ball finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, plus he pulled down six rebounds in 15 minutes. The Hornets, however, lost to the Thunder on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game-winner.