Charlotte Hornets

In LaMelo Ball's final preseason performance, the rookie looked a lot like, well, a rookie.

He forced a few shots, hesitated on a couple of field goals he could have taken and committed some unforced errors in the Charlotte Hornets' 120-117 loss to the Orlando Magic.

Then again, Ball also made the type of plays few point guards have the vision to attempt. Take the good with the bad, and the No. 3 overall pick of November's draft is still a must-watch product. Look no further than two of the jaw-dropping assists he dished out.

The first, an over-the-head dime off the dribble to Cody Zeller at the top of the arc fooled the defense and left Zeller all alone to take as much time as he needed.

The second, a bounce-pass in transition to Malik Monk for an uncontested layup, was thrown to a spot where only Ball's teammate could pick it up. That's vision and skill that can't be taught.

Yet Ball still has plenty of skills to develop.

In 24 minutes off the bench Saturday, Ball scored just four points with four assists, four rebounds and four turnovers. The guard went 1-of-10 from the field with three misses from behind the arc and finished the night as a minus-one on the floor.

The rookie has already proved he can score in flashes this preseason, putting up 12 points and 18 points in two previous exhibitions. But he was also shown up on defense a bit Saturday by rookie Orlando guard Cole Anthony.

Hornets coach James Borrego is likely to keep Ball playing off the bench to begin the season, but that role could expand depending on how quickly the guard's game develops. Saturday showed that could be later rather than sooner.

LaMelo Ball continues to get better. 

The exciting young rookie had his best preseason game thus far on Thursday night, scoring 18 points off the bench in the Charlotte Hornets' 123-115 win over the Orlando Magic. 

Ball finished 7-of-17 from the field and 4-of-9 from three, adding five assists, two rebounds, a steal and three turnovers in 26 minutes off the bench.

It was as good as his jumper has looked, as Ball hurt the Magic from beyond the arc:

Of course, he also showed off the flashy passing and court vision that is already becoming a staple of his game in his young NBA career:

Ball showed off a few of the skills on Thursday that made him the No. 3 overall pick, and justifiably have Charlotte fans very excited about the young rookie:

Granted, his game needs work. He hasn't even played a regular-season game yet, after all. And Hornets head coach James Borrego told reporters before the game he believes Ball "can get to the rim more than he is right now."

So there is plenty of room for improvement. But the excitement is real in Charlotte. 

Michael Jordan is widely regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time, but his perception as a governor is on the other end of the spectrum.

In an anonymous survey conducted by Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, a total of 31 people (13 executives, 10 front office personnel, six scouts and two coaches) voted on the best and worst governors in the NBA.

While Jordan didn't finish among the six worst in the voting, the Charlotte Hornets governor did fall into the "others receiving votes" category for worst governor.

As part of the vote, which required each participant to vote for three governors in each category, Vivek Ranadive of the Sacramento Kings was voted as the worst with 23.5 votes, followed by Robert Sarver of the Phoenix Suns (23) and James Dolan of the New York Knicks (21).

The top three best governors were voted as Steve Ballmer of the Los Angeles Clippers (20.5), Micky Arison of the Miami Heat (14) and Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks (11).

Jordan, who is the NBA's only Black majority governor, has headed up the Charlotte franchise since 2010-11 when he took over for Robert Johnson.

During Jordan's 10 seasons as majority governor of the Hornets (formerly the Bobcats), the team has posted an overall record of 320-467.

Charlotte has reached the playoffs only twice during that stretch and has finished with a winning record just twice under Jordan as well. The Hornets/Bobcats franchise has not won a playoff series during MJ's tenure, either.

The Hornets have now gone four consecutive seasons without a winning record or playoff appearance, and they are coming off a 23-42 record last season.

While the Hornets made some noise this offseason by signing Gordon Hayward and selecting LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, they have an uphill climb when it comes to returning to the postseason.

Jordan was synonymous with excellence during his playing career, as he led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships and won six NBA Finals MVP awards.

That has yet to translate to success as a governor, but he may at least have the Hornets on the right track after an infusion of talent via free agency and the draft.

The Charlotte Hornets announced star forward Gordon Hayward suffered an avulsion fracture on the fifth metacarpal of his right hand.  

Hayward is considered day-to-day. The injury came in Monday's 112-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Hayward played 24 minutes, finishing with 14 points, six assists and four rebounds.

Injuries have derailed his career since suffering a gruesome leg injury in his first game with the Boston Celtics in 2017. He returned in 2018-19 but struggled the entire season to get back into a rhythm. As Hayward seemingly was coming into his own after a largely healthy regular season in 2019-20, he suffered a serious ankle injury in the Celtics' first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 30-year-old joined the Hornets on a four-year, $120 million contract in November, a deal that largely shocked the basketball world.

His absence from the lineup, even if brief, is a reminder how much risk Charlotte assumed by giving Hayward such a massive deal.

Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball didn't score in his first career preseason game. He got on the board in his second, however.

The No. 3 overall pick scored 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting in Charlotte's 112-109 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He added three rebounds, two assists, one steal and three turnovers in 20 minutes.

Ball got his first points on a stepback three from the corner after a nifty pump fake:

Not surprisingly, he also flashed with some highlight-reel lobs to his teammates, showing off his excellent passing ability:

Despite his 0-of-5 showing from the field in his first preseason action, the consensus after that game was that Ball's flashy passing and court vision made him a good watch.

Little changed in that regard Monday evening:

Ball didn't have the most efficient night shooting, he turned the ball over too many times and was a sobering -17. He's a rookie in his first preseason. He's going to be a work in progress.

But the highlight moments make it obvious why folks are excited in Charlotte. Ball flashes serious potential. The hope will be that consistency eventually follows.

LaMelo Ball's jump shot remains a work in progress, but the rest of his game is drawing praise after a solid preseason debut.

"He can't shoot, but not many see the game like he does," a league executive told Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

Ball went scoreless on 0-of-5 shooting but grabbed 10 rebounds and had four assists in the Hornets' 111-100 loss to the Toronto Raptors. His floor vision and brilliance as a passer were on full display as he set up teammates on a series of eye-opening dimes.

That said, the jumper isn't close to being NBA-ready. Ball's feet on his gather and release remain inconsistent, which leads to shoddy mechanics. That will have to be ironed out on the fly given the limited amount of time he's had to work with Hornets coaches in the offseason.

The team apparently plans to bring him off the bench, as Devonte' Graham and Terry Rozier got the start against Toronto.

If Ball can find even a league-average jumper, he'll be an offensive force at the NBA level, but he's not going to ascend to superstardom overnight.

Just one preseason game into his NBA career, LaMelo Ball is already impressing veterans.

Jamal Crawford spoke highly of the rookie Saturday on Twitter:

The praise from a 20-year NBA veteran came after Ball's debut, where he finished with zero points, 10 rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes against the Toronto Raptors. The numbers don't tell the whole story, though, as he produced some highlight-reel plays in the game:

The highlights have made Ball a star since early in his high school career and he eventually became the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

He still has to prove he can be productive at this level, but Ball will clearly be a fun player to watch going forward.

Charlotte Hornets rookie point guard LaMelo Ball went scoreless in his preseason debut Saturday, but his highlight-reel passes stole the show.

Ball, who had 10 rebounds and four assists in a 111-100 home loss to the Toronto Raptors, showcased his talents in 16 minutes off the bench.

Of note, the former Illawarra Hawks guard tossed this full-court pass to big man Bismack Biyombo for an easy bucket:

The Ball-Biyombo connection was featured in the third quarter as well when Ball drove the lane, drew in the defense and fired a behind-the-back pass to the center for another two:

Ball excelled in transition, effortlessly dishing a behind-the-back pass to Miles Bridges for two:

He also fed a laser pass to center Cody Zeller:

Rob Perez of FanDuel summed up Ball's passing particularly well:

Ball and the Hornets will return to the court Monday at 7 p.m. against Toronto.

Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball is partnering with education platform Yellowbrick and CloseUp360 to create two online courses focusing on Sneaker Essentials and Streetwear Essentials.

The lessons were created with input from Complex, FIT and Parsons and mark a foray into education for the young NBA star. Additionally, Ball is providing access to the two courses for 100 students at Vernon Middle School in California, where his mother worked as a teacher and athletic director for more than two decades.

"I'm excited about the 100 Yellowbrick scholarships for Vernon Middle School that we're going to be giving out on behalf of my mama," Ball said in a statement. "She was my teacher, I would say, just for life—helping me be a good person, who I am today, just how to treat people, how to be."

Ball's mother, Tina, left teaching after suffering a stroke in 2017.

The No. 3 overall pick in November's draft is also providing a 20 percent discount on the courses for those outside Vernon Middle School.

"LaMelo is known worldwide for his determination, talent, work ethic, and curiosity," Yellowbrick vice president of partnerships Dion Walcott said. "We're thrilled that he's working with us to instill some of that same passion in another generation of learners who are intent on pursuing their dreams—just like he has."

Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball became a teenage millionaire overnight after being selected No. 3 overall in last month's draft. Just don't expect him to part with that money yet. 

The highly-touted point guard was asked by reporters Friday if he's made any major purchases since signing a two-year deal worth $16 million and was rather succinct in his response.

"I don't spend my NBA money," Ball said. "I'm smarter than that."

The question came after Ball showed off a brand new diamond grill on Instagram earlier this week, but that expense may have come from a different source of income. The youngest of the Ball brothers hasn't struggled to find opportunities to make money recently. 

Ball spent last season playing professionally in Australia's National Basketball League and previously played pro ball in Lithuania. 

If and when his second NBA contract comes around, maybe he'll be more willing to dip into those funds.