LaMelo Ball’s time in the National Basketball League (NBL) with the Illawarra Hawks was as memorable as it was short. Despite playing in just 12 games, Ball recorded a pair of triple-doubles and made a lasting impact on the league.
In total, he averaged 17.0 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.8 assists. His shooting splits were not pretty as he struggled with his jumper for much of his time with the Hawks, shooting just 38.9% from the field and 27.9% from beyond the arc.
But, as noted, his high moments in the league were as high as any of his competitors this season. Here is a look at those top moments and his best games of the season.
5. Illawarra vs. Brisbane, Oct. 6
From a statistical perspective, Ball’s official debut in the NBL was nothing special. He finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals and shot 6-of-16 from the field while missing all five of his three-point attempts.
But it was the way he scored his points or, more specifically, when he scored them. And that’s not even taking into account that he dropped the same defender twice in one play early in the game.
Come the fourth quarter, though, Ball was right in the middle of the action. He hit multiple big shots in a tight game, including a drawing a foul while converting a layup with the Hawks down three points with four minutes left.
4. Illawarra vs. Brisbane, Nov. 3
Ball’s second meeting with Brisbane was a far more successful one individually, though it again came in a losing effort. He finished with 19 points, which was then a season-high, to go with nine rebounds, five assists and three steals.
He continued to struggle from range, going 2-of-7 beyond the arc, and finished 6-of-18 overall from the field. He did get to the line seven times, another season-high at the time.
It was the first time Ball had really looked comfortable from start to finish in a game. He had more than a handful of great passes and began flashing the potential of what he could be.
3. Illawarra vs. Cairns, Nov. 9
As the season went along, Ball grew noticeably more and more comfortable in the league. Also interestingly, Ball and the Hawks routinely played some of their best games against Cairns.
In his second meeting of the year against the Taipans, Ball set a season-high in scoring with 24 points on a season-high five three-pointers on 11 attempts, by far his best effort from deep on the year. He added eight assists and six rebounds as well in the win.
This also kicked off the string of his best stretch of games on the season.
2. Illawarra vs. Breakers, Nov. 30
As great as Ball’s shooting performance was against Cairns, there is a large gap between his top two performances and the rest of the list both from a statistical perspective and from a gameplay perspective.
In his final game with Illawarra, Ball notched his second-straight triple-double by finishing with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists despite going 1-of-11 from beyond the arc.
In the process, Ball became the first player in the modern era of the league to record back-to-back triple-doubles and finished off his NBL career on a high note.
1. Illawarra vs. Cairns, Nov. 25
Everything about Ball’s performance against Cairns was incredible from start to finish. The final stat line does a good job of showcasing how good Ball was as he finished with 32 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, becoming the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double.
He also hit an enormous shot late in the game, burying a three-pointer in the final seconds to force overtime. It was also his most efficient shooting night as he went 11-for-20 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range and got to the line eight times, a season-high.
And he did it all against the third-best team in the league, the sterling performance of his time in the NBL.
