HOUSTON — LaMelo Ball looked like the superstar that nagging ankle injuries have kept him from being for most of the past two seasons in Charlotte’s opener on Wednesday night.
Playing in a regular-season game for the first time since Jan. 26, Ball had 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Hornets to a 110-105 win over Houston.
Ball made four 3-pointers and all 10 of his free throws to help Charlotte to the victory.
The Hornets are counting on Ball to be on the court a lot more than he has been in recent years as they attempt to end an eight-year playoff drought.
He was the third overall pick in the 2020 draft and was named Rookie of the Year that season before making the All-Star game in his second year. But soon he began to struggle with ankle injuries and was limited to just 58 games combined in the last two seasons because of them.
Now that he seems to have put those problems behind him, first-year coach Charles Lee was asked what a healthy Ball does for his team.