Lonzo Ball

[WalterBenjamin]

Just for fun. What if his shoot ain't falling? Where do you pick him?!

[Mulhollanddrive]

That was the most awkward interview I've ever seen with Lonzo and his dad on First Take.

He looked like a 5 year old kid trying not to get in trouble, so much baggage going on there.

[Marcus]

That was the most awkward interview I've ever seen with Lonzo and his dad on First Take.

He looked like a 5 year old kid trying not to get in trouble, so much baggage going on there.

Lol. That's what you got out of that?

[MalonesElbows]

Diva Ball thinks he's better than Fultz?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/28/lonzo-ball-better-than-markelle-fultz-nba-draft/99739612/#

[Ettorefm]

Diva Ball thinks he's better than Fultz?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/28/lonzo-ball-better-than-markelle-fultz-nba-draft/99739612/#

How is he a diva?

Every player thinks they're the best. And if you ask any prospect, they'll say they're the best.

Also, the fact that you mix up his father's antics with Lonzo means you're probably the target audience for clickbait articles. Lonzo never said anything nor acted arrogant in all his years in the spotlight. His father is an a******, but he is a pretty quiet and humble guy.

"Markelle's a great player, but I feel I'm better than him," Ball told the station. "I think I can lead a team better than him. Obviously he's a great scorer — he's a great player, so I'm not taking that away from him."

That's the most respectful thing a player can say. Thinks Fultz is great, not trying to take anything away form him, but he thinks he's better. So what?

[Unbreakable99]

Diva Ball thinks he's better than Fultz?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/28/lonzo-ball-better-than-markelle-fultz-nba-draft/99739612/#

What's wrong with that? Every top player thinks he's the best player. So Ball should say Fultz is better than him and runs a team better than him? Huh? Ball is trying to get drafted as high as possible. If you're interviewing for a job should you say you're not the one they should hire and others are better than you?

[Disposable Hero]

his father's racist comments have soured me on Lonzo. I like the player but there are others just as talented as him but without the baggage of a crazy racist Dad. I no longer want him on my team. I'll gladly take Tatum, Fultz, Bridges, or Ntilikina and one of them will guaranteed be available for the Celtics even under worst case scenario.

[sp6r=underrated]

Diva Ball thinks he's better than Fultz?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2017/03/28/lonzo-ball-better-than-markelle-fultz-nba-draft/99739612/#

What's wrong with that? Every top player thinks he's the best player. So Ball should say Fultz is better than him and runs a team better than him? Huh? Ball is trying to get drafted as high as possible. If you're interviewing for a job should you say you're not the one they should hire and others are better than you?

Yup.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/everyone-thinks-they-are-above-average/

Indeed, there are a host of studies showing people who over estimate how much control they have over their life and their general ability due better than people with a more realistic understanding. This is one reason most societies promote a vision of meritocracy that doesn't exist in the world

[DirtyDez]

Ball, Booker and Chriss would be must see. Suns should bring Doug Moe out of retirement.

[DrCoach]

his father's racist comments have soured me on Lonzo. I like the player but there are others just as talented as him but without the baggage of a crazy racist Dad. I no longer want him on my team. I'll gladly take Tatum, Fultz, Bridges, or Ntilikina and one of them will guaranteed be available for the Celtics even under worst case scenario.

And you would be a fool to pass on Ball because of his Dad

[bulliedog8]

I take it you're in the 'shot release no problem at all' camp--how'd his "basically elite 3pt shot" do for him in his last win-or-go-home game?

Haha so he had 1 bad game and now he is exposed? So many big players have had bad games. I would rather take the whole season vs just 1 game. Heck he still shot 43.8% on 3s in the tourney 63% overall scoring 14pts, 6.5asts 4.5rebs (rounded) per game. He should have shot more though but he is unselfish in that aspect.

[Johnlac1]

his father's racist comments have soured me on Lonzo. I like the player but there are others just as talented as him but without the baggage of a crazy racist Dad. I no longer want him on my team. I'll gladly take Tatum, Fultz, Bridges, or Ntilikina and one of them will guaranteed be available for the Celtics even under worst case scenario.

I'm not going to knock/reject a real good prospect because his pappy is a fool. Ball wouldn't be the first (nor will he be the last) excellent prospect to have a jerk for a parent.

[zzaj]

I take it you're in the 'shot release no problem at all' camp--how'd his "basically elite 3pt shot" do for him in his last win-or-go-home game?

Haha so he had 1 bad game and now he is exposed? So many big players have had bad games. I would rather take the whole season vs just 1 game. Heck he still shot 43.8% on 3s in the tourney 63% overall scoring 14pts, 6.5asts 4.5rebs (rounded) per game. He should have shot more though but he is unselfish in that aspect.

My point wasn't to "expose" anything. Of course nobody is weighing one game too heavily. That being said, that tournament game was the most important game of Ball's life thus far. You like to think a future NBA star would be able to take their game to the next level in that kind of pressurized environment. The poster called Ball's 3pt shooting "basically elite". IMO, an elite shooter is a consistent shooter...not someone that goes 1-6 one night and 3-4 the next--for their 40%.

Look, I have no idea how Ball's game is going to translate to the NBA. Nobody does. But my original post brought up some skills that all elite, modern NBA PGs possess, and which Ball has not shown to possess. That is a concern for a top 3 pick.

But I certainly hope he does well. The league needs more great passing...

[Marcus]

I take it you're in the 'shot release no problem at all' camp--how'd his "basically elite 3pt shot" do for him in his last win-or-go-home game?

Haha so he had 1 bad game and now he is exposed? So many big players have had bad games. I would rather take the whole season vs just 1 game. Heck he still shot 43.8% on 3s in the tourney 63% overall scoring 14pts, 6.5asts 4.5rebs (rounded) per game. He should have shot more though but he is unselfish in that aspect.

My point wasn't to "expose" anything. Of course nobody is weighing one game too heavily. That being said, that tournament game was the most important game of Ball's life thus far. You like to think a future NBA star would be able to take their game to the next level in that kind of pressurized environment. The poster called Ball's 3pt shooting "basically elite". IMO, an elite shooter is a consistent shooter...not someone that goes 1-6 one night and 3-4 the next--for their 40%.

But you're essentially doing that. Not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have. Doesn't completely eliminate his ability. He'd been big stage all year. Pretty sure he isn't the first or last to have a off night when needed as still be a star.

Also we both know the kid took more than 10 threes for the season. Not sure why you used that as an example to explain his shooting percentage. He shot over 40 percent on high volume. By the logic you used Steph going 0 for 11 one night and bouncing back with a record night takes him out the elite shooting class as well. I'm going to assume you don't truly believe that.

[zzaj]

Haha so he had 1 bad game and now he is exposed? So many big players have had bad games. I would rather take the whole season vs just 1 game. Heck he still shot 43.8% on 3s in the tourney 63% overall scoring 14pts, 6.5asts 4.5rebs (rounded) per game. He should have shot more though but he is unselfish in that aspect.

My point wasn't to "expose" anything. Of course nobody is weighing one game too heavily. That being said, that tournament game was the most important game of Ball's life thus far. You like to think a future NBA star would be able to take their game to the next level in that kind of pressurized environment. The poster called Ball's 3pt shooting "basically elite". IMO, an elite shooter is a consistent shooter...not someone that goes 1-6 one night and 3-4 the next--for their 40%.

But you're essentially doing that. Not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have. Doesn't completely eliminate his ability. He'd been big stage all year. Pretty sure he isn't the first or last to have a off night when needed as still be a star.

Also we both know the kid took more than 10 threes for the season. Not sure why you used that as an example to explain his shooting percentage. He shot over 40 percent on high volume. By the logic you used Steph going 0 for 11 one night and bouncing back with a record night takes him out the elite shooting class as well. I'm going to assume you don't truly believe that.

What I'm trying to say is basically what you just said, "not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have." And even then, it's a small side point. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of great NBA players that didn't play well in their final College games.

Again, it's just my opinion, but that example of inconsistency is just one example of what keeps someone from elite status when you are trying to determine how their game is going to translate to the NBA. Steph Curry is an NBA player with a long track record of consistency, and that is completely ignoring his shot mechanics. Trying to lump Curry and Ball into any kind of standard of logic isn't going to get anybody very far.

Despite really poor mechanics, Ball shot 41.2% on 194 attempts in one year of college basketball. If I'm an NBA GM that doesn't tell me a whole lot. Certainly not enough to call Ball an "elite" 3pt shooter. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd want to take a real close look at what percentage of those attempts were unguarded, assisted, with a hand in his face, as part of high PnR, etc...

The 3pt shot is an extremely important part of the current NBA, especially for PGs. There have been very few college players that have overcome shot mechanics like Ball's in the NBA and been good 3pt shooters. That concerns me if I'm an NBA GM.

[Marcus]

My point wasn't to "expose" anything. Of course nobody is weighing one game too heavily. That being said, that tournament game was the most important game of Ball's life thus far. You like to think a future NBA star would be able to take their game to the next level in that kind of pressurized environment. The poster called Ball's 3pt shooting "basically elite". IMO, an elite shooter is a consistent shooter...not someone that goes 1-6 one night and 3-4 the next--for their 40%.

But you're essentially doing that. Not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have. Doesn't completely eliminate his ability. He'd been big stage all year. Pretty sure he isn't the first or last to have a off night when needed as still be a star.

Also we both know the kid took more than 10 threes for the season. Not sure why you used that as an example to explain his shooting percentage. He shot over 40 percent on high volume. By the logic you used Steph going 0 for 11 one night and bouncing back with a record night takes him out the elite shooting class as well. I'm going to assume you don't truly believe that.

What I'm trying to say is basically what you just said, "not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have." And even then, it's a small side point. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of great NBA players that didn't play well in their final College games.

Again, it's just my opinion, but that example of inconsistency is just one example of what keeps someone from elite status when you are trying to determine how their game is going to translate to the NBA. Steph Curry is an NBA player with a long track record of consistency, and that is completely ignoring his shot mechanics. Trying to lump Curry and Ball into any kind of standard of logic isn't going to get anybody very far.

Despite really poor mechanics, Ball shot 41.2% on 194 attempts in one year of college basketball. If I'm an NBA GM that doesn't tell me a whole lot. Certainly not enough to call Ball an "elite" 3pt shooter. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd want to take a real close look at what percentage of those attempts were unguarded, assisted, with a hand in his face, as part of high PnR, etc...

The 3pt shot is an extremely important part of the current NBA, especially for PGs. There have been very few college players that have overcome shot mechanics like Ball's in the NBA and been good 3pt shooters. That concerns me if I'm an NBA GM.

Guess I just don't see less than a handful of bad games out of thirty as inconsistency. Also wouldn't draft or expect Lonzo to replicate everything modern NBA point guards do.

[Duke4life831]

I take it you're in the 'shot release no problem at all' camp--how'd his "basically elite 3pt shot" do for him in his last win-or-go-home game?

Haha so he had 1 bad game and now he is exposed? So many big players have had bad games. I would rather take the whole season vs just 1 game. Heck he still shot 43.8% on 3s in the tourney 63% overall scoring 14pts, 6.5asts 4.5rebs (rounded) per game. He should have shot more though but he is unselfish in that aspect.

My point wasn't to "expose" anything. Of course nobody is weighing one game too heavily. That being said, that tournament game was the most important game of Ball's life thus far. You like to think a future NBA star would be able to take their game to the next level in that kind of pressurized environment. The poster called Ball's 3pt shooting "basically elite". IMO, an elite shooter is a consistent shooter...not someone that goes 1-6 one night and 3-4 the next--for their 40%.

Look, I have no idea how Ball's game is going to translate to the NBA. Nobody does. But my original post brought up some skills that all elite, modern NBA PGs possess, and which Ball has not shown to possess. That is a concern for a top 3 pick.

But I certainly hope he does well. The league needs more great passing...

Thats not really Ball though. Ball was a pretty consistent shooter all year. He didnt have extreme games all that often that affected his stats like that. 25 out of his 36 games he shot at least 33% from 3. A few of those games were him going 1 for 3 from deep, which isnt a bad shooting night and one that doesnt really drastically affect his shooting %s. It was a good bet that Ball was going to have a good shooting night, he wasnt really a shoot you in or out of a game type of guy.

And when it comes to his last game in the tournament, there have been plenty of really good pros that really struggled shooting in the tournament. For instance, JJ Redick one of the best shooters in the NBA shot 33% from 3 in his 4 years of going to the tournament (with 2 of those years shooting under 30%). CP3 shot 33% his final year in the tournament. James Harden's final game in the tournament, he went for just 10 points on 2/10 shooting and 0/5 from 3. Its not all that rare that a star struggles in the tournament and that doesnt mean hes going to struggle in the NBA.

[Derento]

Lonzo's shot mechanics resemble Joe Johnson's.
Joe and Lonzo both shoot from their left side and turn drastically to turn their feet to left. Difference is Joe's set point is more to the middle of his head and not completely to the left. Lonzo needs to move his set point more to the middle of head and raise his his release angle of his arm.

[Duke4life831]

Steph Curry is an NBA player with a long track record of consistency, and that is completely ignoring his shot mechanics. Trying to lump Curry and Ball into any kind of standard of logic isn't going to get anybody very far.

The 3pt shot is an extremely important part of the current NBA, especially for PGs. There have been very few college players that have overcome shot mechanics like Ball's in the NBA and been good 3pt shooters. That concerns me if I'm an NBA GM.

Ball has always been known as a good shooter. So its not like this year is just some outlier. And if you want to talk about consistency in college. Curry's final season he had 22 games of where he shot at least 33% from 3. Again Ball had 26 games this year of shooting at least 33% from 3. So I feel like youre trying to paint Ball as this hot or not shooter and the only reason he has good shooting numbers is because he has some really great games that bump his %s up. Ball was pretty damn consistent all year, only 5 games where he didnt score double digits (4 of those were in wins) and not a single game over 24 points. Again Ball has always been known as a really good shooter, this season was nothing new and he actually put up one of the least up and down seasons for a premier prospect and was super consistent all year long. Ball is kind of the poster child of consistency in this draft.

[zzaj]

But you're essentially doing that. Not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have. Doesn't completely eliminate his ability. He'd been big stage all year. Pretty sure he isn't the first or last to have a off night when needed as still be a star.

Also we both know the kid took more than 10 threes for the season. Not sure why you used that as an example to explain his shooting percentage. He shot over 40 percent on high volume. By the logic you used Steph going 0 for 11 one night and bouncing back with a record night takes him out the elite shooting class as well. I'm going to assume you don't truly believe that.

What I'm trying to say is basically what you just said, "not to say he shouldn't have been more on that big stage because he certainly should have." And even then, it's a small side point. I'm sure there are plenty of examples of great NBA players that didn't play well in their final College games.

Again, it's just my opinion, but that example of inconsistency is just one example of what keeps someone from elite status when you are trying to determine how their game is going to translate to the NBA. Steph Curry is an NBA player with a long track record of consistency, and that is completely ignoring his shot mechanics. Trying to lump Curry and Ball into any kind of standard of logic isn't going to get anybody very far.

Despite really poor mechanics, Ball shot 41.2% on 194 attempts in one year of college basketball. If I'm an NBA GM that doesn't tell me a whole lot. Certainly not enough to call Ball an "elite" 3pt shooter. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd want to take a real close look at what percentage of those attempts were unguarded, assisted, with a hand in his face, as part of high PnR, etc...

The 3pt shot is an extremely important part of the current NBA, especially for PGs. There have been very few college players that have overcome shot mechanics like Ball's in the NBA and been good 3pt shooters. That concerns me if I'm an NBA GM.

Guess I just don't see less than a handful of bad games out of thirty as inconsistency. Also wouldn't draft or expect Lonzo to replicate everything modern NBA point guards do.

A handful of games out of thirty? Out of 36 games he played, 10 of them were sub .300. That's over a quarter of his games. Depending on what we call "elite" 3pt shooting, if you add in the 3 games he shot .333 that's 44% of his games he shot .333 or worse.