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Source: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Getty

The Hornets may have gotten the best pick in the NBA Draft or at least the most high-profile one.

The Hornets selected guard LaMelo Ball with the 3rd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Ball is the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo and son of Lavar Ball.

“He is 19 and he is going to come onto a team where there are players who have NBA experience and we’re hopeful that he works hard and earns any minutes that he gets this year,” general manager Mitch Kupchak said. “If he does that and if he loves the game as much as we think he loves the game, he has the chance to be a heck of a player in this league for a long time.”

LaMelo may have taken one of the longest roads to the NBA, playing on two teams overseas, BC Prienai in Lithuania and the Illawarra Hawks in Australia. In 12 games with the Hawks, the 6-7 guard averaged 17 points, 6.8 assists, and nearly 8 rebounds per game. An excellent passer, the 19-year old will join a backcourt with Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham.

Fun Fact: Lavar was on the Carolina Panthers practice squad during their first season in 1995. Also, the Ball Brothers are the first to be picked in the top 5 of the NBA Draft (Lonzo was picked 2nd by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017).

The Pick Is In: Hornets Select LaMelo Ball With The 3rd Pick Of The 2020 NBA Draft  was originally published on wfnz.com