LaMelo Ball is one of the best scorers of the season in the NBA. With his 29.7 points average, he is only surpassed by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, although he does not appear in the statistics having missed nine of the 36 games played. However, to achieve these scoring figures, the Hornets point guard is breaking some historical records.
With his current numbers, Ball is making the most shots per minute since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1964-65 season. The legendary center has three of the four highest marks in that statistic. The top mark is 0.814 shots per minute in the 1961-62 season. The second, from that same campaign, is Elgin Baylor with 0.746. And the fifth, tied with Michael Jordan (85-86), would be for Ball with 0.727.
LaMelo Ball unserious bench behavior causes controversy in Hornets blowout loss
The point guard is licensed by coach Charles Lee to shoot as much as he wants. This season, in a loss to the Bucks, he made 38 shots, including 17 three-pointers, in 40 minutes. That day he finished with 50 points. On average, he makes 24.6 per game and his percentages are 42.0%, the second worst of his career.
The third worst team in the NBA
The Hornets are one of the worst teams in the NBA and this reliance on Ball is not paying off. They are second to last in the Eastern Conference with a record of 8-28, only ahead of the Wizards. In the entire NBA, only Washington and the Pelicans have worse records.
Individually, however, Ball could receive a hefty reward. After the second count, he leads the voting for the All-Star Game among Eastern Conference guards. He already had 1,490,227 votes, more than 300,000 ahead of Donovan Mitchell. Further back are names such as Damian Lillard, Jalen Brunson and Trae Young.
