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Hornets’ LaMelo Ball Recently Stunned 9-Time NBA All-Star

Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Paul George was impressed with LaMelo Ball's recent performance.

Justin Grasso

Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after his three pointer during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Nov 10, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts after his three pointer during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
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Last weekend, the Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Charlotte Hornets for the first time this season. The matchup marked Paul George’s first game playing in front of the Philly crowd.

While all of the hype surrounding George’s home debut, Hornets star LaMelo Ball was working on stealing the show with the performance he was putting together.

George would later recall Ball’s showing on ‘Podcast P,’ Presented by Wave Sports.

“We was talking about this on the bench… The way someone plays when they have complete freedom, you just ooze with confidence. Bro, he was doing some [expletive] where I was like, ‘Wow.’ He was cashing out!”

Ball led the Hornets to force the Sixers into overtime as he hit a clutch shot to tie the game up in the final seconds. On the other end, Paul George had a chance to counter with a three of his own. The nine-time All-Star came up short.

Unfortunately, due to a minutes restriction, George was held back from competing in overtime. He watched the Sixers and the Hornets battle down to the wire. In the end, George’s team came out on top with a 107-105 victory.

Still, Ball’s performance was the talk of the NBA. The young guard checked in for 40 minutes and chucked up 18 threes. Fearless with his shot, Ball scored 38 points while racking up eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals on the defensive end.

At this point in the season, the Hornets are 4-7. They are seeing a major jump from Ball as he remains healthy through the first 11 games of action,

So far, Ball has knocked down 45 percent of his shots and successfully made 38 percent of his threes. He’s currently scoring at a career-high pace, producing nearly 30 points per game. In the playmaking department, Ball has dished out six assists per game while turning the ball over 4.5 times.

Staying healthy is key for the young guard. Since entering the NBA in 2020, Ball has fewer than 200 games under his belt. Over the past two seasons, he hasn’t played in more than 37 games in each year.

Ball and the Hornets will soon host George and the Sixers for an NBA Cup game. On December 3, the Sixers will pay the Hornets a visit.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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