LaMelo Ball hit the ground running on Saturday night in his first unofficial NBA game. In the preseason opener for the Charlotte Hornets against the Toronto Raptors, Ball came off the bench but still made an instant impact.
The rookie guard tallied seven rebounds and two assists in the first half in 9:46 of action. His prettiest play of the half, though, was a full-court pass to Bismack Biyombo for an assist. While Fox Sports Southeast cameras missed out on the play initially, the NBA grabbed footage of the play and shared it on Twitter and the played lived up to the hype.
Ball took the in-bounds pass and, all in one motion, threw a one-handed football pass from inside the free throw line on the opposite end of the court, hitting Biyombo in stride for the layup.
.@MELOD1P AKA The Dime Dropper 😱
(🎥 via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/cAnbzFjuNu
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 13, 2020
Ball helped the Hornets jump out to a 19-point first quarter lead before the Raptors roared back to take a 58-51 lead at the half. Through the first half, Ball had yet to score and attempted just three shots, two of those three-pointers.
