As if LaMelo Ball's first night as an NBA player couldn't get any worse.
The rookie point guard went scoreless in his debut for the Charlotte Hornets, who fell 121-114 to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday.
Ball played 16 minutes off the bench, missed all five of his shot attempts (0-3 from 3-point range), dished out three assists, and committed three turnovers.
Plus, both guards ahead of him on the depth chart shined. Terry Rozier had the best game of his career, scorching Cleveland for 42 points on 15-for-23 shooting, including 10-for-16 from deep. The other starting guard, DeVonte' Graham, had 10 points and 10 assists.
Then, minutes after the loss, the rookie's Zoom feed was hacked during his first postgame (virtual) press conference.
According to Joe Vardon of The Athletic, hackers “disrupted the interview with computer-generated coughing noises, high-pitched Spanish gibberish, video-game noises, and something that could best be described as sounding like a cross between a vacuum cleaner and a bass beat from a techno track.”
Obviously, the Zoom incident is not LaMelo Ball's fault, as a few obnoxious disruptors broke into the Hornets' link and also disrupted Rozier's presser, but it was an apt metaphor for the 19-year-old's tough night.
Like the hack, Ball's playing time was similarly cut into, as a result of his poor play and Rozier's hot hand. Hornets head coach James Barrego opted to keep the No. 3 overall pick on the pine for the entirety of the fourth quarter.
Ball was asked about his debut before three interferences from the hackers delayed his answer. Finally, he was able to share his thoughts:
“Disappointed because we didn’t win. … I don’t really have emotions on the basketball court or anything like that. Just was having an off night and defense was lacking,” he said.
LaMelo Ball will get a second chance to flash his skills against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
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