The youngest of the Ball Brothers is surprising this season. There were big expectations with the Charlotte Hornets´rookie, but LaMelo is finally proving that being one of the most media players in the league does not affect him.
The best rookie statistically:
The point guard is averaging this season 15,7 points, 6 rebounds and 6,4 assists per game. These are outstanding numbers if we take into account that this is his first season in the NBA.
LaMelo Ball leads the rookies at:
– Points: 15,7 per game, followed by Anthony Edwards (14,7 ppg).
– Assists: 6,4 per game (88 total). Followed by Tyrese Haluburton, the Sacramento Kings´rookie (5,37 apg).
– Rebounds: 6 per game, followed by James Wiseman (5,8 rpg).
– Steals: 1,6 per game.Tyrese Haluburton is in the second position (1,4 apg).

More than ready for the NBA:
Despite the doubts on what the performance from the young player could be after being drafted as the third pick, LaMelo has already made history in the NBA. On January 10th, he became the youngest player in history to post a triple-double in the NBA. The son from the controversial LaVar Ball is making himself a name through stats and game performing, keeping himself out of polemics and just focusing in the league.
No doubt that he will be the Rookie of the Year if he keeps this level throughout the entire season, leaving Wiseman and Edwards on a secondary roll.

Charlotte Hornets, a modest team:
We can´t forget the fact that he is playing for the Hornets, the team run by Michael Jordan, who is the owner. The franchise from North Carolina has a pretty modest roster, despite Gordon Hayward´s addition in this player market. They are 11th in the East Conference with 6 wins and 8 looses. However, they are doing better than other teams such as Toronto Raptors or Westbrook´s Washington Wizards.
They will probably not reach the Playoffs, but it is a good team for LaMelo Ball (despite not being a starter) in order to have minutes and prove his potential so he can drag a trade interest from a better team in the future. Will we see him in a big franchise? Time will say it, but what we certainly know is that this rookie has a lot of ambition and will give us great moments on the court.

Translated by Guillermo Bermejo.