Ball Don't Lie: The LaMelo Ball Thread

[Diop]

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Good on him I say

[Liver_Pooty]

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Good on him I say

Yes sir. I'd rather him just stay home and rest up since there's no actual rising stars game.

[Hornet Mania]

Good call be Melo. He can do the skills challenge any year, hopefully someday when he makes the all-star team.

[penquin11]

LaMelo Ball is only the 3rd player in NBA history (Lebron and Doncic) to average 20/6/6 for the duration of a month while being a teenager. I know thats one hell of a picky stat- but dude looks insane. LaMelo as a starter is averaging 21/6/7

[Snidely FC]

Zach Lowe highlights Lamelo in his 10 Things I Like column this week:

8. LaMelo Ball, at his rhythm
Ball is for real -- including in ways even Ball optimists did not expect so soon. He's shooting 38% from deep on heavy volume (and 80% at the line!) and has been fine on defense by rookie standards. Yeah, he ball watches here and there. He slacks into an upright stance at times.

But his size, rebounding, and nose for the ball mostly compensate for so-so habits he can iron out. Ball is a playmaker on defense. He is a deterrent at the rim when he raises his arms. Best of all, he's trying to stay engaged. He's attentive, head on a swivel, and you already see him learning the patterns of NBA offense -- making some advanced off-ball rotations.

Watch enough NBA games, and you internalize the pacing of specific actions -- how ball handlers navigate options on the pick-and-roll, when they sling that pass to corner shooters. You notice right away when someone plays in between the usual beats. Most of those players are really good. Ball is one.

https://media.video-cdn.espn.com/gifs/mp4/LaMelo_pass_2gif.mp4

There is something a little different about the rhythm and timing of that pass -- and a lot of Ball's passes. Maybe it's that he throws it after he crosses half court -- a second later than most guards toss these diagonal hit-aheads. Maybe it's the way he accelerates his dribble into the pass instead of slowing down to gather and aim. That pacing -- combined with a one-handed delivery that flows right out of his dribble -- serves to disguise the pass until it's airborne.

Ball's cadence is maybe 5% off the norm. That's true even in the half court, where he flicks hook passes from unusual angles -- waist-level, over his head -- and unusual places with both hands. That 5% dissonance can make someone very hard to defend -- especially once his teammates digest it, and understand how to play off of it. It helps that Ball is a threat to score out of the pick-and-roll; defenses can't load up on the pass.

Rookie of the Year looks like a wrap.

[wilson115]

L put together another one:

Watch on YouTube

[Rays Pompadour]

Thanks for sharing the montage!

One of my preseason concerns with Ball was his high dribble. I thought such a high dribble would make it easier to defend. But watching him, what he does is bait a defender with the high dribble, then get real small with tighter handles, changing directions, altering pace. Ball effectively makes a defender commit, then use that as leverage for an opposing move. It's very effective as his length allows for multiple score-pass options.

[Bassman]

Cannot praise this guy enough. Best rookie we’ve had since LJ or Alonzo...take your pick. He may eclipse every Hornet to be our best ever.

[Liver_Pooty]

Start him from day one and hes an Allstar his rookie year.

[James Gatz]

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[Bassman]

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This is how legends are made

[wilson115]

Didn't know his shooting numbers were this good:

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[wilson115]

Short but interesting stuff:

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/31012907/nba-mailbag-how-charlotte-hornets-build-lamelo-ball

[penquin11]

Didn't know his shooting numbers were this good:

Watch on YouTube

If he had averaged what he has averaged since being a starter for his whole season (so if we started him immediately) we are talking about a 19 year old averaging 21/6/7 while also posting positive defensive ratings. Given that he also has a 3 point shot he really does have just about unlimited potential.

[Trey24]

I wonder how well LaMelo would do if he had someone to run the pick-and-roll with? On most NBA teams, it's a staple, but not on this one. He connects with Zeller on occasion, but not with anyone else.

Also, he seems to prefer to shoot the three-pointer two steps behind the line. I am guessing that is a result of competing with his older brothers. The main problem occurs when he tries to shoot from even farther out, like Steph Curry. It would help if he could shoot it from right at the line more often.

This is a true story: Lavar taught them to shoot 3-5 feet off the line because they are more likely to be open in a Catch and shoot or pull up situation from that range vs. right at the line.

It does make sense. Think about the open 28 footers that Lamelo gets and makes, in comparison to if he was standing at the 3pt line when he receives that pass.

Kinda genius if you have that range, which he has proven to have so far.

[Braggins]

I haven't seen anyone mention anything about this before, but I wonder if LaMelo turning into a big time star could make a Steph Curry Charlotte homecoming a reasonable possibility in a couple years?

[Hornet Mania]

I haven't seen anyone mention anything about this before, but I wonder if LaMelo turning into a big time star could make a Steph Curry Charlotte homecoming a reasonable possibility in a couple years?

I'm not sure if it will be Steph (depends on how GSW look next year with improved Wiseman and healthy Klay) but eventually a star scorer is going to realize that Melo is a cheat code to get them easy buckets.

[Roll Tide 09]

I haven't seen anyone mention anything about this before, but I wonder if LaMelo turning into a big time star could make a Steph Curry Charlotte homecoming a reasonable possibility in a couple years?

I'm not sure if it will be Steph (depends on how GSW look next year with improved Wiseman and healthy Klay) but eventually a star scorer is going to realize that Melo is a cheat code to get them easy buckets.

I’ve been thinking about this as well. Somebody is going to want to sign here because of Ball and his abilities.

[fatlever]

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[fatlever]

agree with Trae for sure. not sure im ready to declare melo over ja as an easy choice.