Not only have the Charlotte Hornets been one of the most impressive teams nearing the half-way point in the NBA season, but they are currently in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference! The turnaround this organization has made in the last few seasons has been remarkable, but they have a future superstar in rookie LaMelo Ball!

The No. 3 overall pick currently leads all rookies in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and player efficiency rating and is one of the best pure point guards in the league in just his first season! LaMelo has had such a huge impact on this Hornets team and since he has entered the starting lineup, Ball is averaging 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists and is shooting 46% from the floor, 43% from three-point range. 

He is absolutely the clear favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award and quite honestly, the race is not even close right now. With LaMelo Ball playing at a high-level, as well as both Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier playing at a high-level, this Hornets team is an up-tempo, very skillful basketball team on the offensive-end of the court. 

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They are not a very deep team, as they only play with about 8-9 guys when fully healthy, but they are one of the better three-point shooting teams in the league and can be a handful to stop offensively. 

As a result, they are a team that could be making their first playoff appearance in five seasons, but could they look to pull off a huge trade before the deadline? Let’s take a look at what a trade scenario by Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley involving Zach LaVine could look like, pairing the All-Star guard with the Rookie of the Year hopeful in Charlotte’s backcourt.