LaMelo Ball

[orlandomanic]

LaMelo is an okay prospect. I don't agree with the OP that he is as bad as he says or a garbage player.

I think he has alot of potential but he also has a few major flaw that can maybe be corrected.

With that said, I don't think he is worth a lottery pick or even a first round pick, but I wouldn't mind getting him in the late second round or undrafted free agent.

Like a lot have already mentioned, his jump shot needs alot of work. He shows some flashes of being a good player from time to time but he is going to need alot of coaching to bring up his offensive IQ and defensive IQ because he looks lost most of the game.

I think he can be a poor man's Shawn Livingston and maybe eventually be a 7th or 8th man off the bench in time.

A 7th/8th man in a rotation is a 1st round pick.

Jordan Clarkson, and Norman Powell are 7th-8th men on their teams. So if you have a point, you need to try harder junior.

[The-Power]

The biggest issue with Ball, to me, is that he just doesn't value possessions. He doesn't care if he wastes one by trying something fancy, taking ill-advised shots, not trying hard on defense. That mindset is not going to fly in the NBA, and I'm not sure that these habits are fully curable.

That being said, he is an absolutely elite passer with size, quickness and handles, so his shot creation could be elite (and better than Lonzo's, by the way). He is fun to watch. But he will have to become much better as a finisher and he will have to learn how to play winning basketball. That is the huge risk with him, as neither of those are easy tasks.

[HeadtopChunes]

Read on Twitter

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Pretty great look into Lamelo as person

He came off as pretty jaded by the basketball celebrity life in this

Also it didn’t paint his environment in the best way

Would recommend the read though great piece of reporting

[MemphisX]

LaMelo is an okay prospect. I don't agree with the OP that he is as bad as he says or a garbage player.

I think he has alot of potential but he also has a few major flaw that can maybe be corrected.

With that said, I don't think he is worth a lottery pick or even a first round pick, but I wouldn't mind getting him in the late second round or undrafted free agent.

Like a lot have already mentioned, his jump shot needs alot of work. He shows some flashes of being a good player from time to time but he is going to need alot of coaching to bring up his offensive IQ and defensive IQ because he looks lost most of the game.

I think he can be a poor man's Shawn Livingston and maybe eventually be a 7th or 8th man off the bench in time.

A 7th/8th man in a rotation is a 1st round pick.

Jordan Clarkson, and Norman Powell are 7th-8th men on their teams. So if you have a point, you need to try harder junior.

Trying to insult me while posting a very stupid point. Eric Paschall is a 2nd option. So maybe teams should thrive for 2nd round picks over 1sts.

If you think most back end rotations guys are 2nd round picks, go off.

[zimpy27]

Read on Twitter

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Pretty great look into Lamelo as person

He came off as pretty jaded by the basketball celebrity life in this

Also it didn’t paint his environment in the best way

Would recommend the read though great piece of reporting

Great reporting? Seemed to sensationalise the struggle the same way that other pieces sensationalise the wealth.

[zimpy27]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

[HeadtopChunes]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Pretty great look into Lamelo as person

He came off as pretty jaded by the basketball celebrity life in this

Also it didn’t paint his environment in the best way

Would recommend the read though great piece of reporting

Great reporting? Seemed to sensationalise the struggle the same way that other pieces sensationalise the wealth.

the standards for great reporting in bball is pretty low tbh

[zimpy27]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Pretty great look into Lamelo as person

He came off as pretty jaded by the basketball celebrity life in this

Also it didn’t paint his environment in the best way

Would recommend the read though great piece of reporting

Great reporting? Seemed to sensationalise the struggle the same way that other pieces sensationalise the wealth.

the standards for great reporting in bball is pretty low tbh

The youtube clip earlier you posted was great. It was epic just to read Melo's body language in response to criticism and that was only one piece of it. In fact I'm bumping it.

I just can't stand the sensationalizing of off-court things other than preparation programs and training. These people are famous because of basketball and what they can potentially do on a court. This person has a 2-week trip to profile a basketball player and comes away with that fluff.

[zimpy27]

Watch on YouTube

The best insight you'll get into LaMelo as a basketball player is embodied in this 20 minute clip. It should be in the OP. His response to questions, criticism, praise. It's all here.

[HeadtopChunes]

Watch on YouTube

The best insight you'll get into LaMelo as a basketball player is embodied in this 20 minute clip. It should be in the OP. His response to questions, criticism, praise. It's all here.

i agree the video is pretty great although if i had to nitpick i think schmitz should have let him talk more, seemed like LaMelo was ready to expand at times but was interrupted

He also did one with RJ Hampton if your interested

[zimpy27]

Watch on YouTube

The best insight you'll get into LaMelo as a basketball player is embodied in this 20 minute clip. It should be in the OP. His response to questions, criticism, praise. It's all here.

i agree the video is pretty great although if i had to nitpick i think schmitz should have let him talk more, seemed like LaMelo was ready to expand at times but was interrupted

He also did one with RJ Hampton if your interested

Will watch, didn't know ESPN was doing such good work. When did they acquire Draftexpress?

[HeadtopChunes]

The best insight you'll get into LaMelo as a basketball player is embodied in this 20 minute clip. It should be in the OP. His response to questions, criticism, praise. It's all here.

i agree the video is pretty great although if i had to nitpick i think schmitz should have let him talk more, seemed like LaMelo was ready to expand at times but was interrupted

He also did one with RJ Hampton if your interested

Will watch, didn't know ESPN was doing such good work. When did they acquire Draftexpress?

yeah schmitz is pretty good, its been like 2 years i think

he did a shorter version of this at the combine last year, just one good thing and one bad thing.

I really like this long form film study though i think it tells you more about a player than most videos could ever hope too

[nybluemeadow]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

His bad shooting comes from his broken jump shot and horrible form. He puts the ball and his hand infront of his eyes before shooting, meaning he doesn't see the basket while getting set, just like Lonzo, and he pushes the ball instead of letting his elbow and forearm going through a stroking motion while releasing the ball.

[The_Hater]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

Well there are 2 primary reasons a player misses a lot of shots and posts a poor shooting percentage, they either don’t have the skill level to finish efficiently or they take to many low percentage shots. And with Melo, I think he has a terrible shooting stroke that was formed at a young age so that he can heave those long range shots AND he has terrible shot selection from the perimeter. He definitely thinks he’s a better outside shooter than he’s shown.

I just don’t think that shooting poorly from the perimeter at lower levels is going to suddenly translate to a good shooting percentage in a higher level. Just ask Cam Reddish. I think he needs to refine his shooting form and learn a different mindset with his shot selection and both will take time. That said, I agree that he should be a good finisher inside.

[zimpy27]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

His bad shooting comes from his broken jump shot and horrible form. He puts the ball and his hand infront of his eyes before shooting, meaning he doesn't see the basket while getting set, just like Lonzo, and he pushes the ball instead of letting his elbow and forearm going through a stroking motion while releasing the ball.

I'm more of the mind that whatever you practise in the gym has to be translatable on the court. It has to be replicable and consistent enough that it works in a game. Plenty of great shooters have had unorthodox shooting styles.

Footwork is important in a game and his is terrible. All these crazy off balance shots. Kicking his legs in every direction.

[zimpy27]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

Well there are 2 primary reasons a player misses a lot of shots and posts a poor shooting percentage, they either don’t have the skill level to finish efficiently or they take to many low percentage shots. And with Melo, I think he has a terrible shooting stroke that was formed at a young age so that he can heave those long range shots AND he has terrible shot selection from the perimeter. He definitely thinks he’s a better outside shooter than he’s shown.

I just don’t think that shooting poorly from the perimeter at lower levels is going to suddenly translate to a good shooting percentage in a higher level. Just ask Cam Reddish. I think he needs to refine his shooting form and learn a different mindset with his shot selection and both will take time. That said, I agree that he should be a good finisher inside.

Well LaMelo isn't getting the shots Reddish was. The shots LaMelo takes are much harder. Shot selection is bad for this kid. He's trying to put up star shot numbers as a rookie playing against men.

I'd expect his ts% to trend up over the rest of the season. It's already at about 48% over last 4, 44% for whole season.

[HeadtopChunes]

I think LaMelo offers a similar game to his brother in the NBA. Except he will be a better finisher and shooter but a worse defender.

I don't think people should get bogged down in his shooting stats right now. He's been in a slump yes but a lot of his inefficiency comes from bad habits, things that should get cleaned up playing in the NBA. Taking shots outside when off-balance from outside, floaters on breaks, overly elaborate layups on small guys. You cut those shots out and he probably goes from 15 FGA to 12 FGA and has a ts% around 52% as a rookie in the NBA.

Well there are 2 primary reasons a player misses a lot of shots and posts a poor shooting percentage, they either don’t have the skill level to finish efficiently or they take to many low percentage shots. And with Melo, I think he has a terrible shooting stroke that was formed at a young age so that he can heave those long range shots AND he has terrible shot selection from the perimeter. He definitely thinks he’s a better outside shooter than he’s shown.

I just don’t think that shooting poorly from the perimeter at lower levels is going to suddenly translate to a good shooting percentage in a higher level. Just ask Cam Reddish. I think he needs to refine his shooting form and learn a different mindset with his shot selection and both will take time. That said, I agree that he should be a good finisher inside.

Well LaMelo isn't getting the shots Reddish was. The shots LaMelo takes are much harder. Shot selection is bad for this kid. He's trying to put up star shot numbers as a rookie playing against men.

I'd expect his ts% to trend up over the rest of the season. It's already at about 48% over last 4, 44% for whole season.

yeah i dont think reddish is really comparable to the differences in role and league.

Lamelo is the primary ball-handler and pretty much the only real offensive threat in a pro league. (Especially since the Aron Brooks injury)

Reddish was acting as a 3rd option off of RJ and Zion.

[HeadtopChunes]

Here are some shot charts for Melo

Read on Twitter

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Read on Twitter

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[The Box Office]

Wow. The OP, Atlantabbq, just roasted LaMelo Ball. Pure hate. He didn't post one positive thing about the kid. It's just all negativity. I bet OP hates LaVar Ball and just projected his hate onto LaMelo.

"No effort" on the court?? Wow. Then why is the kid even playing basketball in the first place, OP?

[prime1time]

I think LaMelo has a chance to be special. Watching that ESPN video was fascinating. The shooting percentages are not good, but I think Teams are going to have to get him in the gym and figure out how good the stroke really is. When the ESPN guy asked him about his shot selection he said that he feels confident taking those far-out shots so he does. That just tells you how little real coaching this guy has had.

He needs to learn that even though he might think he can make them, he doesn't need to take them. You improve his shot-selection, put him in a structured system that still allows for his freedom and creativity on the basketball court and the kid has a chance to be special. If everything works out, Ball has a chance to be a generational talent. His ball-handling, passing and knack for creating passing angles is unmatched. There are only a couple guys in the NBA right now that comes close to his combination of those 3 skills.

But if his shooting form needs to be completely overhauled, there is no telling what will come out on the next side. When he shoots 3's, it seems as if his off hand is putting spin on the ball. If that's the case his jumper is going to need to be reconstructed. And seeing how valuable shooting is, as good as his other skills might be, if his shooting is MKG level (worst case scenario) there really isn't a place for him having a major role.

In short, LaMelo is the ultimate boom/bust prospect. If a team believes in his passion and commitment to the game and in his ability to refine his jumper and become a knockdown shooter they should take him. Because he will be one of the faces of the NBA for the next 10-15 years. But if he refuses to adjust his shot attempts and cannot refine his jumper he'll end up being a slightly flashier version of Michael Carter Williams.