LaMelo Ball has been in an incredible slump this season. Thursday night was another ridiculous night at the office, with Ball scoring 35 points and dishing out nine assists. That included making an off-balance deep three and beating the shock clock in the most ridiculous way imaginable.
It's worth watching with the audio on just to hear legendary Hornets play-by-play announcer Eric Collins lose his sweetheart at the moment of the shot.
Melo has scored 30 or more points in nine of the Hornets' 15 games this season. The team is definitely struggling without interior defensemen Mark Williams and Nick Richards (both injured), but a healthy Melo is playing the best basketball of his career, and fellow scorer Brandon・Rapidly building a relationship of trust with Miller on the court. He scored a career-high 38 points in the win over the Pistons.
It's still early in the season, but if Charlotte can fix some of its defensive woes (mainly by getting healthy), it has a very good chance of making the playoffs for the first time in years. If that happens, Melo will be the biggest reason.
