Crymson wrote:a-French-Fan wrote:Ball would have same impact as Luka? I don't think we're living in the same world^^
Luka was Euroleague MVP, Ball chose a weak australian team. So I don't really think Ball has proved anything except that he avoided comparisons with is draft rivals Europe or NCAA. Of course he is a top pick, but Luka is a MVP potential and Can share the ball.
Correct. Luka was already a phenom and an extremely complete player. He won MVP of the world's second-best basketball league at age 18. The NBL is not a good league and Ball is far from complete.
Also, the notion that a Ball-Kennard backcourt would be viable defensively holds no water at this point. Ball is both bad and unmotivated on defense, and that's in a weak league.
I feel like a lot of the fan perception of LaMelo is absolute hype.
I would not say he is a absoluted hype, he has real skills. I would say he took a safe path to be a top pick. I mean he was already under lights before he had to show its skills within a competitiveness environment. NCAA? I guess he had already contracts, so it was not an option. Europe? Find me a coach that would had launched him into a euroleague game. I mean euroleague prospects already played in the domestic pro league before euroleague (except Strazel with ASVEL this year for few minutes, but it was not ASVEL staff's plan at the beginning of the season).
He would had gone to eurocup, but it was still risky. When Ulm (a weak Eurocup team) welcomed Hayes, they knew that he had already a pro year, and knew reasons why it was so disappointing for him his firts pro year (but a lot of U18 players would had liked to play the same level and making the same stats). So, which Eurocup team would had hired a high school prospect?
Last point, if things go bad for the team in NBL, it doesn't matter, this a franchise system, not a championships where last teams may go down. (With such a risk for an organization, if things go bad, experience is preferred to young talents; that is what happened with Hayes in Cholet).
So Australia was the safest choice.
But Australian league may be a real choice to go pro instead of NCAA. I don't know why RJ Hampton didn't go to NCAA. But first it is easy to go abroad when your language is spoken every where you go, and secondly it is still a pro league. So he didn't have Ball's stats, but he played in a more competitive situation, his team was struggling for post-season whereas winning or losing was not a matter for Ball.
About no defense ... well I don't especially know australian league, but I saw the NT last summer. Between Australia and european teams, it was really opposite cultures. I mean it was like if over 100 points games was the first aim of the team! So, did he fit to australian's way of play or even for australians he did not defend? For this, only australian fans may answer.
Frank Ntilikina is a play-off player, but he goes to the Hornets.
Paris 2024 (Starters):
Ntilikina - Malédon - Hayes
Coulibaly - De Colo
TLC - Rupert or Risacher
Wembanyama- Yabusele
Embiid- Poirier - Lessort [without Embiid: Fall]
That won't happen. But those are my three guys
