After a stellar solo season in the National Basketball League (NBL), LaMelo Ball was among four players nominated for the Rookie of the Year award, the league announced on Sunday.
Ball joins fellow Next Star RJ Hampton as well as local players in Kouat Noi and Angus Glover as nominees.
In his abbreviated season in the NBL, Ball averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game for the Illawarra Hawks. Among his fellow nominees, only Noi averages double figure in scoring as Ball has the best statistical season of the group.
However, Ball and Hampton both had their seasons ended prematurely due to injuries, the former playing just 12 games and the latter 15. Fortunately for Ball’s case, Noi also has only played 16 with a small handful of games remaining this season. Glover is the only nominee to eclipse 20 games with 24 games played.
The case will likely come down to quantity vs. quality with Ball’s short season being easily the best statistical season of the nominees. But the manner in which he reportedly left also could have left some within the league upset and could hurt his case as well.
