Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Playoffs: Top five players without a playoff appearance

By Larry Hammonds

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 30: Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns holds the Western Conference Championship trophy as his team looks on after the Suns defeated the LA Clippers in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 30: Head Coach Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns holds the Western Conference Championship trophy as his team looks on after the Suns defeated the LA Clippers in Game Six of the Western Conference Finals at Staples Center on June 30, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
NBA playoffs (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NBA playoffs (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Top five players without NBA playoffs experience: 3. LaMelo Ball

You are probably surprised to see a rookie on this list, and I don’t blame you. I wrestled with the idea of putting LaMelo Ball on this list after just 51 career games when there were so many more proven players to choose from, but at the end of the day, LaMelo is just that special. Yes, it’s a small sample size, and he may only be a rookie, but he’s already proven to be one of the most sensational players in the league. In just his 10th game in the NBA, he became the youngest player in league history to record a triple-double, and he finished his rookie campaign with seven double-doubles.

More from NBA Playoffs

Listed at 6’6” tall, Ball possesses elite court vision and playmaking ability that most guards can only dream of. At just 19 years old, the youngest of the Ball brothers is already regarded as one of the best passers in the NBA. Whether it’s an ankle breaker, an eye-popping full-court pass, an offensive rebound putback dunk on an opponent’s head, or an alley-oop to Miles Bridges, one thing is for sure, LaMelo is going to put on a show.

Unfortunately, Ball suffered what was originally perceived as a season-ending broken wrist midway through his rookie season. Luckily, Ball enjoyed a relatively quick recovery and returned for the final nine games of the regular season. He and the team’s second-leading scorer Gordon Hayward missed a combined 44 games after the All-Star break. Hayward and Ball, along with Terry Rozier, would have likely led Charlotte to the playoffs if not for all the injuries.

As he continues to gain experience and get bigger and stronger, Ball will only continue to improve as a player and eventually become a superstar in this league. Charlotte Hornets fans should be ecstatic about the future of the franchise. With Ball in the picture, the Hornets should be a perennial playoff team and a perennial title contender with the right moves.

Don’t look now, but it seems like Michael Jordan finally got the franchise cornerstone that can elevate the team to new heights that he thought he was getting in Kemba Walker.