LaMelo Ball is special.
An awesome ballhandler and passer, the Hornets rookie made a strong impression early. That held through Ball’s wrist injury and Anthony Edwards rapid ascension.
Ball – deservedly – won Rookie of the Year.
Full voting with first-, second- and third-place votes and total voting points:
1. LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets): 84-15-0-465
2. Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves): 15-75-9-309
3. Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings): 0-9-87-114
4. Saddiq Bey (Detroit Pistons): 0-0-3-3
Just four players getting a vote for an award is the fewest since the NBA instituted multi-player ballots for all major awards in 2003. The previous low: Five with 2018 Rookie of the Year (Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Kyle Kuzma and Dennis Smith).
There was such a strong consensus around this rookie class. Edwards posted big numbers (but was weighed down by a rough start). Haliburton contributed with savvy passing and shooting.
But this was long Ball’s award to lose, and he didn’t.
