Kyle Kuzma tilted his arm like a defender about to hit a tight end on a go. His target was LeBron James, and the Los Angeles Lakers star took a step on the LaMelo Ball of the Charlotte Hornets.
Not many defenders in any sport will stop James when he takes a step forward with a steaming head coming down. But Ball struck, stretching his arm behind him to try to slow James down as he pivoted and sprinted back into defense.
Ball created a great opportunity to score a goal for James, but Kuzma’s shot went over the bar. So it was Ball’s responsibility to stop it – even if it meant drawing the fifth foul and ending the Hornets’ impressive second-half comeback Thursday night in a 116-105 loss to the Lakers at the Staples Center.
But the play talked a lot about Ball’s mentality in his first NBA game against James. It was, as he mentioned earlier in the week, just another game for the talented rookie. Just once again when you play against one of the best players in the league. Just another measuring stick from which he will learn.
“He felt good,” Ball said of his first game against James, with which his stats in the top 20 of his career compare favorably. “But not very well, because I didn’t get the victory.”
Thursday was Ball’s 20th career start, and according to ESPN Stats & Information research, Ball averaged more points (19.8-16.5) than James in his first 20 starts. his career, pulling better from the field (46.8% to 39.9%) and beyond the 3-point line (43.2% to 31.5%).
Of course, this is not a perfect comparison. James started the first 20 games of the 2003 season in Cleveland, while Ball was not moved to the Hornets’ starting lineup until the 20th game of the season – Thursday was the 40th th career game. James also had the weight of being the no. 1 to his draft class and to be taken by his hometown team.
Ball entered the league as a mystery, after spending his senior year of high school and college to play abroad for two seasons, before the Hornets recruited him to 3rd place last fall.
But the youngest of the three Ball brothers probably lived as much of his life in the spotlight as James had in the league. And he endured more doubts than James ever did when he stumbled as a teenager in the Lithuanian league and fooled into the family’s Facebook Live reality show.
Those struggles and experiences, Ball’s father, LaVar Ball, once predicted, were the ones that gave LaMelo the potential to be the best of his three sons.
“People ask me, ‘Who is the best?’ “LaVar said in an interview with ESPN magazine in 2017.” I’m going, Lonzo is the best right now. He is the oldest. But Melo will be the best, because he has the most experience … he gets the most experience and the biggest s —. ‘”
Old Ball was visibly quiet as his youngest son exploded onto the NBA stage this year. Some of this is a function of geography – LaVar still lives at his home in Chino Hills, an hour east of Los Angeles, while Lonzo is in New Orleans and LaMelo is in Charlotte. Another part is a conscientious decision to step back from the spotlight, where Lonzo often overshadowed when he started with the Lakers.
But LaVar was not completely silenced. He did a radio interview with ESPN Los Angeles before Thursday’s game, in which he doubled down on LaMelo’s comment that the game against James was not very special.
“He doesn’t look at him like, ‘Oh, I’m playing this guy!’ “LaVar Ball said on Mason & Ireland. “No, it’s competition. … How will he be scared of another man and your father is LaVar Ball?”
The boasting provoked the laughter of the hosts. Indeed, many of his statements have gone viral, as they usually do. But, as happened throughout the season, LaMelo’s talent spoke for itself.
“It’s damn good to be his age,” James said of Ball after their game. “Speed, speed, the ability to make shots and baskets in the paint … and it will only get better. Each game is a learning experience for him. It will improve as the season goes on and his career continues.
“He and ‘Zo are two very unique players in our league and they present it every night.”
James enjoyed the Ball and Hornets tonight, finishing with a maximum of 37 points on a 14-of-22 draw to propel the Lakers to their fourth straight victory and pulled off a new round of MVP proclamations from the coach and colleagues. his team.
But Ball looked first-ranked for Rookie of the Year, scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second half, while Charlotte bounced back from a 15-point deficit at the break to reduce the lead to 86-85 to 3 points of Ball with 10 minutes and 13 seconds until the fourth quarter.
LeBron and LaMelo after facing each other for the first time 🤝 pic.twitter.com/wuZ9fMU6Db
– ESPN (@espn) March 19, 2021
“You could feel his emotion early,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “He wanted to play well and prove that he belongs to this league. … I think he was a little anxious at first, but he sat down and slowed down … I thought he was fantastic on the stretch. I liked the fight and his competitive spirit. “
His mistakes were aggressive mistakes, not because of additional pressure to match the MVP four times. The free kick, which gave James two free throws and the Lakers the ball in possession that followed, showed Ball’s competitiveness to return to defense after a turnover.
“It was just a stupid little mistake I had to learn from,” Ball said of the turnover (his sixth of the night), which sent him to the bench for the next 5:27.
The Hornets remained level with the Lakers during that stretch. But they didn’t have enough time to hold any rallies, when Ball finally came back with 1:43 until the end, and the Lakers went up 112-101. Ball scored four points in the remaining time, but James and the Lakers closed it fairly easily. After the game, Ball spoke briefly to the media, then returned to the team’s hotel.
Due to NBA health and safety protocols, Ball’s first NBA game in his hometown was a lone one. The Hornets will remain in Los Angeles to play the Clippers on Saturday. In a normal year, he could have seen hundreds of family members and friends, just as his older brother did during his time with the Lakers. But these are not normal times.
“Life is weird right now,” Ball said, shrugging when asked about returning home. “Honestly, everything feels really normal, so I don’t really know what’s going on.”