For a rookie as hyped as LaMeLo Ball, a scoreless outing proved to be underwhelming for his NBA debut.

The No. 3 overall pick, the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, struggled in his first official NBA game as the Charlotte Hornets absorbed a 114-121 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In 16 minutes off the bench, Ball missed all of his 5 field goals, although he still tallied 3 assists and 2 steals.

Ball became the first top 3 pick to go scoreless in his NBA debut since Otto Porter Jr (2013) and the fourth overall over the last 15 seasons, joining Hasheem Thabeet (2009) and Greg Oden (2008).

Hype has surrounded Ball ever since he was in high school as he casually drained half court shots and once scored 92 points in a game.

Ball took a rather unorthodox path to the NBA as he played professionally in Lithuania when he was 17 before he starred for the Illawarra Hawks in the National Basketball League in Australia.

A tall point guard standing at 6-foot-8, Ball entered the NBA Draft as a highly touted prospect and the Hornets used their No. 3 selection on him.

Despite his dismal debut, Ball is expected to find his stride in the NBA as general managers in the league tabbed him as the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award. – Rappler.com