LaMelo Ball Called Jason Kidd 'With a Better Jump Shot' by Anonymous NBA Scout

Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is receiving rave reviews after winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award last season.

Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated spoke to several anonymous NBA scouts, and one of them referred to Ball as a "star."

The scout then added: "He's Jason Kidd, with a better jump shot. He's among the best passers in the NBA already."

The Kidd comparison is significant since he is a Basketball Hall of Famer and widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

The scout also lauded Ball for his leadership, referencing how poorly the Hornets played without him when he missed over a month of action last season with a fractured bone in his wrist.

Charlotte was a playoff team when Ball got injured, but it went just 10-11 while he was out and had to settle for a spot in the postseason play-in game, which it lost to the Indiana Pacers.

Ball was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, but there were some questions regarding how he would transition to the NBA after skipping college and playing professionally overseas instead.

LaMelo was also working against some preconceived notions since his brother, Lonzo Ball, has yet to live up to his status as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

It quickly became apparent that LaMelo was a different player, however, and he went on to enjoy an excellent debut season.

In 51 games, Ball averaged 15.7 points, 6.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals, all while shooting 43.6 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Kidd was Rookie of the Year as well in 1994-95 with the Dallas Mavericks, but he wasn't as productive as Ball, averaging 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals while shooting only 38.5 percent from the floor and 27.2 percent from deep.

For his career, Kidd averaged just 12.6 points and 1.4 three-pointers made per game, plus he shot only 40.0 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from three-point range.

Ball may already be a better and more efficient scorer than Kidd, but he still has some developing to do in other areas, as he averaged 8.7 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game in his career.

Kidd was also a 10-time All-Star, nine-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection and five-time assist champion, plus he won an NBA title with the Mavs in 2011.

Ball still has plenty of growing left to do, but he is in a great spot at just 20 years of age and has a chance to vie for an All-Star selection as soon as the 2021-22 season.