Bet On LaMelo Ball To Win This NBA Award In 2021-2022

After winning 2020-2021 Rookie of the Year honors, the Charlotte Hornets PG has a ton of upside

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  • After being taken 3rd overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, Charlotte Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball averaged 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists over 28.8 minutes in 51 games (31 starts) en route to winning 2020-2021 Rookie of the Year.

  • In his 31 starts, he put up 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 31.2 minutes per contest. Further, in the 22 games that he averaged over 30 minutes, he averaged an elite 20.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists. 

  • Heading into the 2021-2022 season, most books have him at +4000 to win the Most Improved Player award, but he’s one of the best candidates on the board based on his projected role on Charlotte’s re-tooled roster and presumed offseason development.

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Charlotte’s Roster Gives Ball Reigns To Offense

The Hornets’ starting five will most likely consist of Ball at point guard, Terry Rozier at shooting guard, Gordon Hayward at small forward, Kelly Oubre Jr. at power forward and Mason Plumlee at center. 

That means Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, Ish Smith rookies James Bouknight, Kai Jones and TJ Thor, Jaden McDaniels, Cody Martin, Wes Iwundu and either Nick Richards or Vernon Carey Jr. will come off the bench as part of the 15-man roster. 

Head coach James Borrego played the hot hand in terms of playing time for most of last season, but with only Rozier and Smith as point guard options, this roster construction sets up Ball for a 30+ minute role on a nightly basis. 

Last season, Ball was eased into a starting role, which is why his overall yearly numbers weren’t anything incredible: 15.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists. However, in his 31 starts, he put up 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists over 31.2 minutes per contest. Further, in the 22 games that he averaged over 30 minutes, he averaged an elite 20.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.8 assists. 

Ball led the Hornets in usage (24.7%) despite coming off the bench in 20 games last season and was the clear leader in that regard (25.5%) as a starter. With Devonte’ Graham now essentially being replaced by veteran Ish Smith, Ball should be on the court longer, get more usage and have a longer leash from Borrego.

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Filling The Box Score

The youngster has an ability to fill up the box score, which will also help his case. Not only can he put the ball in the hoop, but he has an uncanny knack of finding his teammates for high-percentage shots and is an elite rebounder due to his size. With more weapons at his disposal, like Oubre, Plumlee and Bouknight, expect Ball to be a triple-double threat every time he steps on the court. 

If he can average something around 20-8-8, he will be in a prime spot to make an All-Star team and to win Most Improved Player. At +4000, he has too much upside to pass up, especially if he leads the Hornets to a playoff berth in the wide-open East.

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BetQL’s NBA model went 110-51 (68.3%) across all bets in Ball’s career starts for a total return of $3,021. Get access to the model today and get ready for NBA season!

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