Lonzo Ball made his long-awaited return for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Charlotte Hornets. The rookie point guard had missed the team’s last six games due to a shoulder injury. However, it didn’t take him long to deliver a terrific highlight play.

The Lakers rookie pushed the ball up the floor quickly during one possession in the first quarter. Ball did one lightning-quick crossover to lose Hornets point guard Kemba Walker and immediately got a wide-open path to the rim, which he fully capitalized upon to slam the ball with authority.

Lonzo Ball ended up finishing with 11 points, four rebounds, and five assists in 27 minutes on his return. However, his dunk ended up being one of the lone bright spots for the Lakers as they still lost 108-94, which is now their ninth defeat in a row.

Between Ball’s early-season shooting slump, his recent injury, and the Lakers’ recent losing streak, it hasn’t been smooth sailing at all for the Lakers’ highly-touted rookie in his debut campaign. Those problems are indicative of the fact that he and the Lakers still have a long way to go in order to get back to the top.

However, Lonzo Ball has been shooting much better over his last few appearances, which has to be encouraging for the purple and gold. Until the team can get it's act together and start winning more games, his development will be one of the few things Lakers fans will have to lift their spirits in what's becoming another disappointing season.