On the positive side, things can only go up for LaMelo Ball.
The No. 3 choice in the overall standings in last month’s draft had an NBA debut to forget on Wednesday – and had its post-game Zoom hacked – when the Hornets opened the season with a 121-114 loss to the Cavaliers. Ball got goalless with a 0-5 display from the field to go with three turns, three assists, two steals and a rebound in 16 minutes off the bench.
“I told him to forget this one,” said Gordon Hayward after the game, according to Charlotte Observer. “Some days are diamonds, others are stones.”
Ball, 19, became the first choice of the first 3 to lose the score on his NBA debut since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Difficult prom night included a third quarter streak where he tripped over himself and turned the ball, immediately stole it back and had his pocket chosen seconds later.
“Disappointed because we didn’t win,” the guard told reporters during a post-game call from Zoom that was interrupted by hackers, according to The Athletic. “I really don’t have any emotions on the basketball court or anything. I was just having a bad night and lacked defense. “
The polarizing prospect also failed to score in his pre-season debut, but he did 10 rebounds, four assists and four turns that night. He ended up hitting 11 of 42 in four preseason games before posting blank Wednesday night, including 0 of 3 in depth.
Hornets owner-guard Terry Rozier added 42 points, which kept Ball glued to the bench in the fourth period.