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In the first week of January 2021, the Hornets had just finished a training session in Atlanta. Jay Triano, the assistant coach in charge of the team's rookie training, gave LaMelo Ball a behind-the-back pass, which scared LaMelo Ball, "Coach, you are very skilled. !」
Triano smiled and told LaMelo Ball that his favorite player was Pete Maravich. The first game he watched was in 1971. Maravich scored 41 points and became his favorite star. After the team trained, Triano remembered that today, January 5th, happened to be the anniversary of the death of Maravich, nicknamed "Pistol", and immediately told LaMelo Ball about this coincidence.
"Coach, this is unbelievable. Pete Maravich is also the third overall pick to join the NBA." Ball didn't mention that many people also said that his style of play is quite similar to Maravich's, and Triano, who has been watching Maravich's games, also agreed. Nod.
"His ability to read the game and find space is as effortless as instinct." Triano said in an interview. "LaMelo is in the NBA, the highest palace of basketball, all the time, shuttling back and forth like his own backyard."
The 2020-21 season did not have a summer league and a complete season-opening training camp due to the epidemic. The Hornets could not let LaMelo Ball play before the regular season to get familiar with it. However, after the start of the season, the coaches found that Ball was quite similar to him. He is unique. He has first-class talent in holding the ball and passing the ball. His actual performance is also impressive. He is very good at fast breaks, half-court battles or passing the ball after cutting. "In the past few years, the Hornets did not have such a player. , LaMelo doesn’t need much running-in, he can quickly understand the position of his teammates.”
Currently, LaMelo Ball has played 27 games, averaging 14.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists per game, and has a 44.2% shooting percentage and a 35.3% three-point shooting percentage. He is currently ranked first in the NBA's best rookie rankings. name.
In the past seven games, LaMelo has been put into the starting lineup, and he has scored 21.4 points and a three-point shooting percentage of 44.9%, becoming a key factor in the Hornets' current 13 wins and 14 losses, ranking sixth in the Eastern Conference.
As LaMelo's playing time increased, the coaching staff and Hornets owner Michael Jordan laughed more and more. In the game against the Knicks on January 11, after the Knicks player made a layup, LaMelo Ball did not waste a second. Quickly step out of bounds to serve, leading a quick counterattack.
