Players that Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan praised: LaMelo Ball
It’s not hard to believe that there’s praise that the Hornets majority owner Jordan has for the face of the franchise in Buzz City. The 6-foot-6 and 180-pound rookie point guard and the Hornets’ third overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft LaMelo Ball looks to be the piece that Jordan is building around in Charlotte moving forward.
Ball looks like he could be a favorite to win Rookie of the Year this season after guiding the Hornets to get a spot in the play-in tournament along with veteran star forward Gordon Hayward. He had a fantastic rookie campaign where he averaged 15.7 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks.
And he shot 43.6 percent from the field, 35.2 percent from beyond the arc, and 75.8 percent from the free-throw line. It’s not often that you get a sensational rookie playmaking point guard like LaMelo that can post three win shares, a 1.9 box plus/minus, and player efficiency rating just shy of 18 on an otherwise rebuilding team like the Hornets.
Jordan has already got the chance to praise LaMelo (the face of his franchise) on multiple occasions. And he’s done so with a lot of those chances in the media spotlight. LaMelo looks to be the future of the Hornets, and his insane talent level and star potential are something that Jordan picked up on as the season moved along.