HOUSTON — LaMelo Ball gave the star the impression that nagging ankle injuries have saved him from being in Charlotte’s opener on Wednesday night for much of the next two seasons.
Playing in a regular season game for the first time since January 26, Ball had 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to beat the Hornets in a 110-105 victory over Houston.
Ball hit four 3-pointers and all 10 of his shots to help Charlotte to the victory.
The Hornets are relying on Ball to be on the court much more than in recent years as they fight to end an eight-year playoff drought.
He was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft and was named Rookie of the Era that season before reaching the All-Celebrity game as a sophomore. But he soon began suffering from ankle injuries and was limited to just 58 games combined over the past two seasons.
Now that he’s over those issues, first-year coach Charles Lee was once asked what a healthy ball does for his team.
Lee exhaled deeply and smiled before answering.
“He is like the engine for us,” he said. “If we have a healthy LaMelo Ball, we’re going to do a lot of really good things because I know he’s going to continue to grow and help everyone around him continue to be better, too.”
The 23-year-old was all smiles after the game and reflected on his return to the court after his difficult stretch.
“It’s a blessing to just do what we love,” he said. “We grew up playing basketball, so being able to continue doing it for a living is an amazing feeling.”
Lee said Ball has been consistent in his loyalty to being splendid since his first phone call after he was hired and praised his young superstar.
“He wants to be someone who earns the trust of his teammates and his coaches, he wants to be a winner and he wants to impact victory,” Lee said. “So I told him what I think is going to help us impact the win and I think tonight you saw him implementing that with some of his defensive efforts, some of the multiple efforts he made and then offensively playing with the pass and driving. So “I’m very excited for him.”
The Hornets trailed by as many as 18 points Wednesday before rallying for the victory. Ball was inspired by how the team came together after struggling early in the game.
“In the first game you just want to go out and set the tone,” he said. “So we had to get that first win.”
