“LaMelo Ball out here stat-padding like Russell Westbrook”: Hornets rookie steals the ball from Joel Embiid and swishes a 3-pointer as game clock runs out

LaMelo Ball pulled a neat trick at the end of the Hornets’ loss to the Sixers last night, stealing the ball from Joel Embiid and swishing a 3-pointer.

The Hornets rookie has been a revelation to begin this season. After a scoreless debut game during which a lot of people were down on him, Ball has recovered in spectacular fashion. He’s been electric as a playmaker, both in the half-court set and in transition.

He’s shown off a capable 3-pointer, and is already quite aggressive at attacking the rim. His 6’8″ frame will fill out over his career, making it even tougher to stop him from driving-and-dishing. His vision and feel for the game are as refined as we’ve ever seen a rookie possess.

Also Read: “Paul George may have been inspired by Lakers mascot Jared Dudley”: Skip Bayless hints that Clippers star was indignant to not be considered on LeBron James’ level

Overall, Ball projects as a perennial All Star prospect, though he may never be a true professional scorer like Khris Middleton. He’s already improved a ton on the defensive end after looking a bit lost at that end at the start of the year.

LaMelo Ball steals the ball from Joel Embiid and hits 3-pointer to finish the game

The Hornets ended up on the losing end against the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, 118-111. Ball pulled off a sneaky steal on Joel Embiid, which actually led to the final scoreline eclipsing the over/under mark.

You can take a look at the play right here:

Embiid thought the game was over then LaMelo stole it and drained a 3 😅 pic.twitter.com/zjza6Rq9oD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 4, 2021

LaMelo Ball out here stat-padding like Russell Westbrook

— Amulya Shekhar (@tweet_amulya) February 4, 2021

Also Read: ‘Injuries have slowed Anthony Davis down’: Lakers’ coach Frank Vogel explains AD’s slow start to the season despite LeBron James popping off

LaMelo finished with 22 points on the night, but he was outdone by the Sixers’ Big 3. Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons all came up with the goods for Philly. The Sixers finished the game shooting 41-of-80 from the field and 10-of-25 on 3-pointers. This was enough to give them great averages from all ranges. One wonders how much of a difference Terry Rozier’s presence would’ve made for the Hornets.