LaVar Ball is a pageant mom in Big Baller Brand threads.

Even if you’re not on the pageant scene, you know what that means. He’s loud, he knows his kid is the best at whatever they do, and he has no room in his world for the word ‘no’ for his kids. And like him or not, you can’t deny the results.

Sure, Lonzo is no longer the savior of LA, Gelo is…uh…well he’s out of Detroit, so that’s something?

But LaMelo…LaMelo is someone we have to talk about.

It’s hard to predict the future, much less stick to it, but credit Lavar Ball on his undying faith for his sons. Even if you hate him, even if you are beyond tired of seeing him on your screen, even a broken clock is right twice a day.

And so it goes with the presumptive wunderkind, the presumptive prize of the 2020-2021 NBA Rookie class, LaMeloBall of the Illawarra Hawks. And as far as LaVar light speed mouth goes to fetch most of his takes, it seems that all of them are paying off in his youngest son:

Take 1: LaVar Ball thought LaMelo will go first in the NBA Draft

Okay, you’re right, by sheer technicality, this is a flat-out lie. But let’s rephrase and reframe here for a second. Sure, LaMelo was drafted third overall, much to the joy of Ball family haters everywhere, but so was MJ. Now, obviously, no one is comparing the two, especially not right now, but look at the two teams that drafted above the Bulls back in 1984: both the Rockets and the Blazers had a need for big men. And as blasted as the Blazers were for the Sam Bowie pick at number two, remember that they were already invested in a young wing who would grow into a very worthy rival for MJ in Clyde Drexler, at least until the early ’90s.

Fast forward to now: drafting at number one, we have the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are already investing over $100 million in a point guard experiment named D’Angelo Russell (and let’s not pretend that T-Wolves owner Glen Taylor is prone to making wise basketball choices).

And at number two, we have the Golden State Warriors, who will—oh, no, never mind, you have the greatest shooting backcourt of all time but are anchored inside by an old Draymond Green, and possibly generational seven-footer James Wiseman is available? Ok, yeah no, go with him.

LaMelo Ball went first overall to a team that actually needed him. And lest you try to tell and scream about technicalities, allow yourself this: he is, at the very least, the best rookie so far. And it’s not even really that close.

Take 2: LaMelo deserves to start

Well, yeah, that goes without saying.

Of course, the Charlotte Hornets were wise to start his NBA career with him coming off the bench. This is a weird season, fans are frothing at the mouth, fans are brutal, and they just took on the most dynamic, and possibly volatile, that they had in years. Let the boy prove himself. After all, look what happened when LA put too much pressure on Lonzo.

But since they slid LaMelo Ball into the starting lineup this past February, the Hornets have been Buzzing. They currently sit at just under .500, and hold the seventh seed in the East. As for their rookie, he holds an above-average PER, he’s increased his usage rate and scoring load, and maintained his efficiency. The kid is looking like the leader Charlotte has missed since Kemba Walker left.

Take 3: LaMelo will be the best of the Ball boys

Yup.

If you’re looking for actual analysis, try this: Lonzo Ball theoretically helms an offense with possibly the best roll man in the league right now in Zion Williamson and a go-to perimeter threat in Ingram. However, through this season, LaMelo is eclipsing his brother in scoring, rebounds, assists, and PER. As a rookie.

And as for Gelo, he’s…uh…

LaMelo will not be the best, he’s already the best.

Take 5: LaMelo Ball can play the 1 or the 2

This one is less controversial, good luck telling that to scouts. If you were to tell them that a hyped-up, skinny, relatively earthbound tall point guard was going to make it in the NBA as a point guard passing as little as he did, you would have been laughed out of the war room. Throw in some smoke about LaMelo goosing scoring numbers in high school, LaVar throwing out coaches that didn’t give the family what they wanted, and a funky shot form that’s reminiscent enough of Lonzo’s to give you the heebie-jeebies, not to mention subpar shooting splits in the ABL, and you have the recipe for a tire fire.

Well, it’s time for everyone to shut up and take their medicine because LaVar was right again. LaMelo , as mentioned above, is averaging more assists with a better turnover ratio than his facilitating older brother, while also averaging more points per game on 37% shooting from three and a 55 TS%. So not only is his shot stroking and shredding twine, he’s making sound decisions on the offensive end.

Take 5: LaMelo will be a superstar in the NBA

This checks out too, immediately.

Take a team owned by Michael Jordan. Throw in some juice from two of the biggest artists in hip-hop, DaBaby and J. Cole (one time for somebody who knows). Now sprinkle in some 90’s-reminiscent jerseys, add a dash of a hyped-up rookie, and you have a perfect recipe for LaMelo to be a star in the NBA. If he lives up to the hype.

And oh, how indeed. The counting and advanced stats are there, with LaMelo posting averages of 15.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, solid shooting splits, a nearly 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and an above-average PER.

Bur that’s for the stats nerds. More importantly to this take LaMelo simply has the juice. We were all valid in calling out his bust potential, judging by Lonzo’s own steady fall from the hype train.

And to that, LaMelo has not only met but exceeded our wildest expectations of him thus far. As good as we all thought he could be, foreign exile, combined with the shenanigans of his family, made us all forget about the unicorn that is LaMelo Ball. And even more impressively, he shows the confidence that Lonzo could only dream to have, which could be a testament to the toughness he found playing overseas. No way in hell that this Ball brother lets anyone say that he ducked a player in the NCAA Tournament.

LaVar was right about LaMelo. And since he’s found his initial success in Charlotte, time will tell whether or not the youngest scion of the Ball family can deliver on his dad’s latest wild take: getting the Hornets to their first NBA Championship.