LaMelo Ball is on an unbelievable tear this season. On Thursday night it was another ludicrous night at the office in which Ball finished with 35 points and 9 assists — including this off-balance deep three to beat the shock clock in the most absurd way imaginable.
It’s worth watching with the sound on, just to hear legendary Hornets play-by-play announcer Eric Collins lose his ever-loving mind on the shot.
Melo now has 30+ points in nine of the Hornets’ 15 games this season. The team is definitely struggling without the interior defense of Mark Williams or Nick Richards (both of whom are injured), but a healthy Melo is playing the best basketball of his career and quickly developing an on-court rapport with Brandon Miller, who also scored a career-high 38 points in the win over the Pistons.
It’s still very early in the season, but if Charlotte can correct some of their defensive woes (mainly by getting healthy) there’s a very good chance they could push for the playoffs for the first time in years. If that happens Melo will be the biggest reason why.
