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LiAngelo Ball will be hoping he can join his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, in the NBA if he produces for the Charlotte Hornets in their Las Vegas Summer League games.
In his opening matchup, the 22-year-old scored 16 points in 16 minutes and drained five three-pointers in the Hornets' 93-86 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. He also came away with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
While one solid performance does not guarantee a roster spot, it will certainly earn him additional playing time, beginning with the Hornets' fixture against the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
LiAngelo Ball has had his basketball career upended by both the coronavirus pandemic and an ankle injury in recent years. However, a consistent showing in the NBA Summer League should help him secure a spot in the big time and there are plenty of teams who could benefit from his abilities. In this article, we will run down three of them.
LiAngelo Ball seeks to pique NBA teams interest in Summer League contests
The NBA Summer League is the perfect platform on which undrafted players can showcase their potential and LiAngelo Ball is certainly not taking his opportunity for granted. He was a late addition to the Charlotte Hornets roster, which may have been done to appease the franchise's new starlet, LaMelo, but proved in his opening game it could be worth it.
Now, with four more games to prove himself, LiAngelo Ball will have the attention of NBA scouts looking to fill out their team's roster.
#1 Charlotte Hornets
LiAngelo Ball's brother, LaMelo, has already carved out his future in the NBA after a thrilling first campaign in the league from which he won Rookie of the Year. LiAngelo, in fact, spent a lot of time in North Carolina with his brother and used the team's practice facilities in the offseason prior to being selected for their Summer League team.
The versatile forward will have to continue to impress the Hornets coaching staff to make the roster but would be a sensible addition to a team that is progressing well in the East. They narrowly missed out on the playoffs last year, with their hopes dashed by injuries late in the season to LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward. In free agency so far, they have signed Kelly Oubre Jr. and will be excited by the addition of lottery pick James Bouknight to the squad.
Adding LiAngelo Ball will give the Hornets more raw talent with which to build upon. He is a verified three-point shooter who, like his brother, has fast hands on defense.
#2 Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons were already willing to take a chance on LiAngelo Ball in 2020 but waived the 22-year-old prior to him partaking in any preseason game due to an ankle injury. Although he and his father, LaVar, were frustrated by the decision, LiAngelo could still make a return to the Eastern Conference side.
They have a budding young unit of stars which would suit him well while he is still developing and does not have to be ready for the NBA instantly. Since the Pistons are rebuilding, even offering Ball another small contract could be worthwhile in the long-run since they are not expected to win now. He has experience of playing abroad, connecting with 41% of threes while playing for Lithuanian outfit Prienai and has the sort of hunger to play in the league needed for a role player.
#3 Portland Trail Blazers
Who else could LiAngelo Ball move to than the team against whom he fired in so many threes? The Portland Trail Blazers have had a somewhat confusing offseason so far and are far from settled, with rumors still circulating about the futures of their backcourt pairing, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
The Trail Blazers have become accustomed to watching their players drain three-pointers, but with Carmelo Anthony leaving and potentially their guards following suit, they could value some cut-price depth shooting. Although nothing has been confirmed, the franchise may be on its way toward a rebuild, which would be the perfect setting in which to gamble on offering LiAngelo Ball a contract. Even if it were to be with their G-League team first.
