Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball was set to sweep through a lot of the statistical categories amongst the rookie class this year, likely, in route to an NBA Rookie of the Year Award. That was until his recent wrist injury that has him sidelined for the rest of the year.

Ball has been everything and then some the Hornets were hoping for when they selected him with the third overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. And with his flashy game come some wild comparisons. There may not be a crazier comparison so far then the one that Hornets announcer Eric Collins made when he conjured the name of former MLB slugger Mark McGwire.

The tweet with the quotes from Collins read like a drama script for a movie. “…the guys who are mopping the floor just stop and watch the guy….I'm gaga over just him when he's tying his shoelaces. I'm sure I'd be fascinated to watch him brush his teeth.”

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Maybe pump the brakes just a little bit here, no? It seems more than over the top. The comparison to McGwire is hilariously awesome, though, and it makes sense from the context that Collins gives.

When Mark McGwire was in his prime, people showed up to the ballpark as soon as the gates opened just to watch him take batting practice. It was the entertainment before the game and for some, it was the true show to watch. Just Big Mac taking batting practice was enough to many and he always put on a spectacle.

LaMelo Ball stretching and dribbling a basketball in his own pre-game routine doesn't correlate and can't possibly draw a comparison to McGwire but the point Collins is maybe making is that it's even the pre-game festivities that people will take notice of with Ball, like they did McGwire. It still feels like a long reach, at best.

Before getting injured, LaMelo Ball's stars were 15.9 points, 6.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game game for the Hornets.