Regardless of the score, you can always count on LaMelo Ball to put on a show. With the Charlotte Hornets taking on the Toronto Raptors Saturday night, the rookie point guard fired a gorgeous no-look pass to Gordon Hayward for a bucket that left the Raptors sputtering in place long after the ball hit the net.
Feast your eyes on this, Hornets fans.
DIME THAT MAN. (via @SportsCenter) pic.twitter.com/BZDIHxjxPG
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 14, 2021
With the Hornets holding possession and a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, Cody Zeller found himself trapped along the baseline, as three Raptor defenders attempted to force a turnover against the veteran big man.
Unable to spin away from the aggressive defense, Zeller tossed a desperate pass out to the arc, where a sprinting LaMelo Ball retrieved the rock high up in the air.
Article Continues BelowAlready anticipating the Raptors waiting for him to reset the offense, the quick-thinking Ball fired the leather away before he even hit the ground, delivering a dime to Gordon Hayward just outside the lane, who then promptly fired it away for a deuce.
The play wasn't the only highlight-worthy sequence that Ball delivered on the evening.
Late in the first half, the ever-creative rookie drained a step-back three-point shot after putting on the spin-cycle to avoid Norman Powell's fly-by.
For a rookie whom fans knew for his last name as much as his play entering the league, LaMelo Ball is making it clear that nepotism had nothing to do with his ascension to the NBA.