Michael Jordan has very high praise for LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball’s strong rookie season has won him the approval of no less an authority than his team’s owner, Michael Jordan.

Jordan praised Ball, the Charlotte Hornets’ No. 3 overall pick, for adapting to the NBA far more quickly than even he had hoped.

“I think Melo has adjusted to the NBA game better than any of us ever thought this early in his career,” Jordan told Steve Reed of The Associated Press via email. “He has exceeded our expectations so far this season.”

Ball has been one of the season’s standout first-year players, and is a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year honors. The 19-year-old is averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game through the first half of the season, having thoroughly seized the starting point guard role.

Ball has been proving people even within his own organization wrong. His future looks incredibly bright.