National Basketball Association

LaMelo Ball drops 31 in Charlotte's season opener — is he a budding superstar?

Published Oct. 21, 2021 3:51 p.m. ET

LaMelo Ball began his sophomore season with a bang.

So did his team, for that matter. Charlotte pulled off a one-point victory in an enthralling opener against the Indiana Pacers, the team that sent the Hornets home in the play-in tournament last season.

On Wednesday, the Hornets trailed by as many as 23. But as the sports sages always say, "it ain't over 'til it's over."

With a flurry of shots from Ball, an injection of momentum from the Hornets' home crowd and a 24-0 run, Charlotte got right back in the swing of things.

The squad outscored Indiana depleted lineup 39-17 in the third quarter, with Ball accounting for half of his team's points during the 24-0 spurt.

Then Charlotte held steadfast in a hotly contested fourth quarter, and in the final minute, Ball found Miles Bridges streamlining to the rim for an open layup. Indiana followed with a pair of free throws to go up 122-121 before P.J. Washington was fouled with 4.6 seconds remaining.

He stepped to the line with poise and knocked down both free throws. Charlotte came up with a decisive stop on Indy's final possession, preventing Domantas Sabonis from converting a turnaround jump and sealing a 123-122 victory.

Ball finished his showcase with 31 points on 11-for-23 shooting. He added nine boards, seven assists, two steals and went 7-for-9 from 3-point territory. It was a stellar start to stamp home his Rookie of the Year regency as he looks to build on that foundation in Year two.

Nick Wright was in awe of it all.

"I understand it's Game 1 of 82," Wright conceded on Thursday's episode of "First Things First." "[But] LaMelo was the best player on the court by a decent margin. I think he's a sneaky All-Star candidate.

"When we unveiled the pyramid, there were a few controversies. One of them: I had LaMelo Ball as a top-36 player in the league. People said, ‘Oh, it’s premature. That's gonna come back to bite you.' Oh, it might. I might've had him too low: 30-plus points, red-hot from 3 in a sneaky important game between two teams who are going to be fighting in the 6, 7, 8, 9 [-seed] area."

Ball also opened Shannon Sharpe's eyes with the performance.

"I think he's going to be a superstar," he said Thursday on "Undisputed."

"He can score, he can rebound, he can assist it. He has that flash. Sometimes guys can do all these things, but they don't have the pizzazz. They don't have that splash that says ‘I’m a superstar.' The kid just turned 20 in August. And the thing that sets up really well for him is that his game fits the current NBA system. He's going to be a superstar even in Charlotte. He has it."

Skip Bayless, however, sees star but is holding out on adding "super" to the label.

"I'm seeing star for sure, but I'm not seeing superstar," he said. "You have to be really special, to be able to do some things nobody else can do. I think he has a chance to average a triple-double in this league. At 6-[foot]-7, he can stuff that stat sheet every night. I can't take my eyes off that kid. But he doesn't have a takeover type of personality."

Ball certainly thinks of himself as a superstar, and it's evident in the flare with which he plays. If he continues to post performances such as this one, he'll be incredibly difficult to disagree with.