NBA Rumors: Could We See LiAngelo Ball In Hornets Jersey This Season?

A third Ball brother may be making his way into the NBA soon, and it could be with the Charlotte Hornets.

LiAngelo Ball has been a revelation for everybody who’s been watching this year’s edition of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

When he was tagged to be a part of the Hornets’ Summer League team, many thought it was because of his connection to his younger brother and last season’s Rooke of the Year LaMelo Ball, but LiAngelo has since proven that he belongs with the big boys of the NBA.

The 6-foot-5 guard declared for the 2018 NBA Draft but was undrafted due to the wealth of talent available across the board.

He would have his next shot at making an NBA roster when it was announced that he would join the Oklahoma City Blue as a practice player, but he didn’t play in their lone game as the season was subsequently canceled due to the global pandemic.

Ball would be signed to a training camp contract with the Detroit Pistons but was waived after 10 days.

It now appears that the Hornets are taking an even closer look at Ball as it was reported that the team is very much enamored with his level of play.

Hornets assistant coach Jay Triano praised Ball for his performance in the Summer League.

"He was at the facility practicing every day for two months to play in the Summer League," Triano said. "Shows a ton of character. He can shoot it, great feel, knack for scoring."

LiAngelo claimed in the past that he was the best shooter among the Ball brothers, and that certainly looks to be the case.

He’s the Hornets’ second-leading scorer behind the team’s lottery pick this season in James Bouknight with 10.5 points.

In addition, he’s proven that he can shoot the ball from deep as he’s making 41.7 percent of his attempts and being a menace on the defensive end with 1.5 steals per game through four games.

As to whether he can make the jump to the Hornets’ main roster, that remains to be seen.

They currently have Terry Rozier, Ish Smith, Wes Iwundu, Miles Bridges, and newly acquired Kelly Oubre Jr. across their guard and forward lineup.

If LiAngelo were to make the team, the Hornets would most likely have to let go of Iwundu in order to make room for him.

The middle child of the three Ball brothers has been a Summer League sensation, and many people think that he’ll make the cut and join a G League team, helping him inch closer to the dream of playing in the NBA.

Should that happen, the Ball brothers will join the likes of Antetokounmpo siblings and Holiday family as part of the rare club that features three brothers playing in the league simultaneously.