Charlotte Hornets

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley knows plenty about making an immediate impact as a rookie, and he is already making head-turning comparisons for one of the NBA's brightest first-year playmakers.

During a conversation with Kevin Clark of The Ringer, Barkley compared Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball to Magic Johnson (around the 5:30 mark):

Talk about high expectations.

Johnson is arguably the best point guard in NBA history. The Hall of Famer finished his career with five championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, three league MVPs, 12 All-Star nods and 10 All-NBA selections.

Ball has a long way to go, although he is already impressing with his passing skills and made his first career start Monday.

If he lives up to Barkley's comparison, he will eventually develop into one of the best players in NBA history.

LaMelo Ball is living up to the hype, taking home the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award for January:

The No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft averaged 12.6 points, 6.7 assists and 6.2 rebounds per game in 16 appearances in January despite exclusively coming off the bench for the Charlotte Hornets. 

Ball's best performance came in the final game of the month, scoring 27 points with nine assists and three steals in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. He entered the starting lineup in his team's next game.

Earlier in the month, Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to post a triple double when he tallied 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a win over the Atlanta Hawks.

The 19-year-old has been a bit inconsistent with his shooting, making 42.3 percent of shots from the field and 30.8 percent of three-point attempts. However, he makes up for it with his ability to contribute in other ways.

He enters Tuesday ranked first among all rookies in assists per game and second in rebounds per game behind only center James Wiseman.

Tyrese Haliburton has had a similar impact for the Sacramento Kings and was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. The No. 12 overall draft pick has averaged 10.7 points, 5.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 18 appearances this season, shooting 40.9 percent from three-point range in the process.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that guard Terry Rozier suffered a right ankle sprain against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday and will not return.

Rozier had 12 points and two rebounds in 18 first-half minutes, helping propel Charlotte to a 68-64 halftime lead in the process. He did not return in the third quarter.

The 26-year-old averaged 18 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his first year with the Hornets. His contributions did little to change Charlotte's trajectory, though, as the team won 23 games and missed the playoffs.

The Hornets made one of the biggest splashes in the offseason when they acquired Gordon Hayward in a sign-and-trade with the Boston Celtics, signing him to a four-year, $120 million contract. They also selected LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 pick in the 2020 draft.

Ball's arrival along with Devonte' Graham's breakout led some to wonder whether Rozier might be on the trade block heading into the 2020-21 campaign.

The Hornets are clearly looking to get into the postseason; otherwise, they wouldn't have made such a sizable investment in Hayward. Losing Rozier to injury is a blow in that regard, but Graham and Ball should help make up for the scoring and playmaking he provides.

Another day, another trophy to add to the collection for Michael Jordan.

The six-time NBA champion and his 80-foot yatch, aptly named Catch 23, captured the 58th The Buccaneer Cup Sailfish Release Tournament in Palm Beach, Florida, last week. According to USA Today's Scott Gleeson, it's the vessel's first sailfish tournament victory, and knowing Jordan, probably not its last.

Jordan even reeled in two of the seven sailfish caught during the tournament.

Those catches ended up being crucial as Catch 23 won by 200 points over second-place De-Bait-Able. Fishers are awarded 200 points for each sailfish caught with live bait and 300 points for those caught with dead bait.

Catch 23 placed third in the Stuart Sailfish Club Light Tackle Sailfish Tournament in 2019, and it's fair to say Jordan might have taken it personally.

It doesn't matter what the sport is or where it's played. Jordan will find a way to win somehow.

Charlotte Hornets head coach James Borrego called out rookie guard LaMelo Ball and forward Miles Bridges after they combined for nine points and nine turnovers in Friday's 123-110 loss to the Chicago Bulls.

"Those two guys have to be better for us," Borrego told reporters. "They energize our bench. Winning the bench every night is a big key for us. Obviously, we did not do that tonight. I thought their bench was fantastic. They kicked our tail, our starters and our bench. We need Miles and LaMelo to play better."

Ball was benched after back-to-back turnovers in the third quarter and didn't return to the game.

The third overall pick in the 2020 draft and Bridges, a 2018 first-round selection, have typically provided the Hornets with a boost while playing together on the second unit. That didn't happen Friday as Chicago won the bench scoring battle, 46-20.

Ball is off to a solid start to his NBA career. He's averaged 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.5 steals across his first 15 appearances, and he recorded a triple-double in a Jan. 9 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

While the Hornets will hope his offensive efficiency will eventually improve—he's shot just 40.4 percent from the field, including 32.4 percent on threes—his all-around play has been a bright spot during the team's lackluster 6-9 start.

His outspoken father, LaVar Ball, isn't happy with how things are playing out, though.

The elder Ball told TMZ Sports in an interview released Saturday that LaMelo should be leading the Charlotte attack rather than coming off the bench.

"My thing is he ain't happy with that, but he ain't go show that," Ball said. "If I train you to be the best and always been starting all your life—here is what they don't get: My boys are not freakin' role players! They superstars! Let them do what they do!"

He also took a shot at Borrego for his approach to the situation.

"But if your mentality ain't like that, guess what? It's hard to coach my boys and tap into the best because you don't have a killer mindset," Ball said.

Moving Ball to the starting lineup would require one of the team's top three scorers, Gordon Hayward, Terry Rozier or Devonte' Graham, shifting to the bench, and that's an unlikely swap at this stage of the rookie point guard's development despite his ample upside.

The 19-year-old California native will seek a bounce-back performance Sunday when the Hornets travel to the Amway Center for the first of two straight games against the Orlando Magic.

Not long before the start of NBA free agency, Gordon Hayward underwent surgery on his left foot. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Hayward had an elective and previously unknown procedure in early October "to alleviate persistent nerve pain in his left foot."

Hayward described the surgery as "pretty minor."

Hayward missed most of the Boston Celtics' playoff run last season because of a sprained right ankle. He suffered the injury in a 109-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals in August. 

After sitting out four weeks, Hayward returned for the final four games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. 

When the season ended, Hayward declined his player option in his Celtics contract to become a free agent. The 30-year-old was coming off his best season with the team, averaging 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 2019-20. 

The Charlotte Hornets swooped in to acquire Hayward for four years and $120 million in a sign-and-trade deal. There was widespread criticism of the deal, but the early returns have been positive for the organization. 

Hayward leads the Hornets in scoring (a career-high 22.2 points per game) and is shooting a career-best 40.9 percent from three-point range. 

Despite a 6-8 record, the Hornets are in the middle of a crowded race for the top spot in the Southeast Division. They enter Friday one game behind the division-leading Atlanta Hawks. 

Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward clearly has a high opinion of his new teammate LaMelo Ball. 

Speaking to The Athletic's Sam Amick, Hayward compared the rookie point guard to a former NBA MVP and a potential future MVP:

"He's got great size. More than anything, he has great feel for the game. He's kind of like—to me, he's got that same type of feel as like (Dallas') Luka (Doncic), as (Washington's) Russ (Westbrook), where they just are around the ball and the ball kind of just comes to them. With rebounds and (being able) to make the right plays and always kind of being at that right position, to me he has that same type of feel and energy for the game. I think he's gonna be really good."

Ball was widely regarded as the best player in the 2020 NBA draft, but he wound up being available to the Hornets with the No. 3 overall pick. 

Even though head coach James Borrego has used Ball exclusively off the bench thus far, the 19-year-old looks like he will have no problem playing in the NBA. He is averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. 

Ball's shooting is still a work in progress, as he's only making 40.3 percent of his attempts, but the early returns are promising. 

The Hornets are off to a respectable 6-8 start and are one game behind the Atlanta Hawks for the top spot in the Southeast Division.  

Gordon Hayward said Friday he "really wanted" a return to the Boston Celtics despite widespread interest during his trip to free agency, which ended in November with him joining the Charlotte Hornets as part of a sign-and-trade deal that featured a four-year, $120 million contract.

Hayward told Sam Amick of The Athletic he also generated interested from the Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks:

"Yeah, Atlanta was a team that I was really interested in. I think they're another group of guys who are obviously young but extremely talented and you saw the additions that they added in the offseason. I think they're a great basketball team. Clearly, Trae Young is an extremely talented player and somebody they're going to rely on. So being able to play with him, and play with some of their other young players was really enticing, so they were in the mix.

"New York was in the mix—the Knicks. Indiana was another team that was really interested, and we had mutual interest for a while. Boston was—like, let's not forget about Boston. I really wanted to go back to Boston too. There were just a lot of options, and a lot of potential teams that I could go to, but I'd say those were the main ones. Atlanta, New York, Boston, Indiana, and then Charlotte obviously."

Hayward has enjoyed a strong start to his tenure with the Hornets. He's averaged a team-high 22.2 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 steals while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, including 40.9 percent on threes, across 13 appearances.

It would have been difficult for Boston to match that type of financial commitment to the 30-year-old forward because of its depth of talent on the wing, led by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

The Celtics instead opted for a quieter free-agent period, signing point guard Jeff Teague and center Tristan Thompson to provide depth in other areas of the roster.

Although Hayward's stay with the Celtics didn't live up to expectations, in large part because of serious leg and ankle injuries suffered in his October 2017 team debut, he told Amick there were a lot of "great experiences" during his time in Boston before another ankle injury in last year's playoffs:

"I honestly shouldn't have come back and played, but tried to play through it and wasn't able to be myself, so I don't think we had our full team there at the end. So it was disappointing, but not necessarily stuff that you can control. Injuries happen. Those types of things happen. But I had great experiences besides those things in Boston, built great relationships, still have good relationships with the coaches and some of the players there. I have no regrets about anything that happened in Boston, and I really appreciate all the fan support—for supporting me through a wild ride of ups and downs."

Now he's healthy again and producing at a level closer to his final season with the Utah Jazz (2016-17) when he earned his only career All-Star selection.

Both of his old teams are off to strong starts, however, with Utah (11-4) and Boston (8-5) near the top of their respective conferences, while Charlotte stands at 6-8.

The Hornets will look to snap a three-game losing streak Friday night when they welcome the Chicago Bulls to the Spectrum Center.

Charlotte Hornets small forward Gordon Hayward suffered a left hip strain in the third quarter of Wednesday's game against the Dallas Mavericks and has been ruled out, per an official team statement.

Hayward played 27 minutes before leaving, finishing with 16 points and four rebounds. Devonte' Graham checked in for Hayward with 4:18 left in the third quarter.

The 30-year-old came to Charlotte on a four-year, $120 million deal after he opted out of his contract with the Boston Celtics, where injuries plagued much of his three-year tenure.

After a gruesome tibia fracture ended his 2017-18 season in his Boston debut, he returned to average 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.9 minutes across 72 appearances (18 starts) the following season. He was back into a starting role last year, but he missed time with a hand fracture in the fall and suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain during the postseason.

His tenure in Charlotte got off to a similar start when he suffered a finger fracture during the preseason, though he was able to recover quickly enough to start the season with the Hornets. He posted 28 points, seven assists and four rebounds in his debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

Hayward, who played seven seasons with the Utah Jazz before joining the Celtics as a free agent, averaged 17.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists with the Celtics last season. 

With Hayward out, the team will give more minutes to Miles Bridges, who entered Wednesday averaging 9.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

A record-breaking performance from LaMelo Ball on Saturday has gotten a lot of attention, including from LeBron James.

Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, a feat which LeBron praised on Instagram:

James previously held the record when he recorded his first triple-double at 20 years, 20 days, but several players have passed him in recent years, including Lonzo Ball, LaMelo's older brother. LaMelo then set a new standard when he finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists in a 113-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks at 19 years, 140 days.

"I live my life and I know what I'm capable of, so stuff like this doesn't move me like that," the Charlotte Hornets guard said after the game. "I know that's supposed to happen."

Ball is just 10 games into his NBA career but is already raising expectations after being taken No. 3 overall in the 2020 draft.