Isaiah Thomas Praises Melo: 'He's Going to be the Face of This League'

The Charlotte Hornets have one of the best young players in the league, according to Isaiah Thomas.

In three games with the Hornets, Isaiah Thomas is averaging 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 43% from the field and from three. His presence on the floor may not be what it used to be during the prime of his career with the Boston Celtics, but he's been a valuable addition to this young roster, especially for second-year guard LaMelo Ball.

After trading Ish Smith to the Washington Wizards in a deal to acquire Montrezl Harrell, the Hornets were a little thin in the backcourt. Terry Rozier was playing as the backup point guard in addition to his starting role at the two. Cody Martin and James Bouknight have been battling with numerous injuries over the past month, so GM Mitch Kupchak went out and signed Thomas to a 10-day contract.

Now, Thomas is on his second 10-day contract and will likely sign for the remainder of the season when that contract comes to an end in about a week. 

"I'm comfortable here," Thomas said following the team's win over New Orleans on Friday night. "Everyone has welcomed me with open arms. The coaching staff is allowing me to be myself. They're allowing me to lead, they're allowing me to be vocal and help the young guys out. That's what I'm here to do. Put an imprint on those younger guys because I've seen everything in this league. The highs, the lows. My wisdom and my experience can help with these young guys because they're already talented."

After spending nearly two weeks around LaMelo Ball, Thomas has grown to admire the young star's game.

"That's what I told the guys in the locker room is that was one of the most complete games I've seen him play. He controlled the offense each and every possession. He controlled everything the whole game and I think that's what gave us the confidence to come out and play like that. He's the head of the snake, so when he plays like that, the team is tough to beat."

Not only is Ball already accomplishing a lot at just 20-years-old, but he is the face of this franchise. According to Thomas, he'll be much more than that before long.

"I mean, he's going to be the face of this league," Thomas said. "He's already an All-Star. Give him two or three years and he's going to be top five, top ten in this league. He's a special talent, he's very young. He has great energy. His pace to the game - you can't teach his pace and he's what? 6-foot-7. He has the full package. My job while I'm here is just to have him focus on taking every possession serious and leading this team. Even though he's 19, 20-years-old, he has the ball in his hands a lot so he needs to be able to take that responsibility of leading guys, even if it's not vocal and just by how he plays. The sky is the limit for the kid."

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