Lamelo Ball Is Going To Be A Bust
With the draft just around the corner, one of the most intriguing prospects in about to be in the league. That prospect being Lamelo Ball. Some people think that Ball could be a transcendent star, but I think quite the opposite. Ball is one of the riskiest picks in this draft, and I’ll be explaining why I don’t think he’s NBA material.
Marketability>Talent
Ball has had a very rocky journey to the NBA. First he was the brother to the #2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Lonzo Ball. They played in high school where Lamelo was high scrutinized and found the limelight on himself a lot. His father Lavar Ball needs no introductions and is more of a distraction than anything. Lamelo went overseas, and then came back and then went to Australia because he didn’t want to go to college.
Although the I think that Ball has separated himself from his father, I don’t think that he is a poster boy. He’ll sell tickets and make teams some money, but I don’t get that because of his talent. I get it because of the name. First impressions are hard to shake and most of us were introduced to ball as a small high-schooler with a loud-mouthed father. That won’t change even if he has.
I don’t think that a team trying to win will sell out to make Lamelo their franchise player. Lamelo is more of a name guy, but I don’t think that you will be seeing everybody lineup up just to see him play because of his talent.
Does He Actually Have Superstar Talent?
When you see a guy like Lamelo, and all the hype that he has been able to generate, you would think he has the potential to be the next best thing. The opposite is try however as Lamelo hasn’t shown great potential to be a superstar in the NBA. Ball is 6-8 and can pass the ball well for his size, but the superstar potential ends there.
Ball isn’t a great shooter and he isn’t very efficient. He averaged 17 points in 16 shots in the NBL. He shot 38% from the field and 25% from 3. He averaged nearly 8 assists per game but almost 3 turnovers with those assists. Ball isn’t the greatest offensive player. His jumpshot isn’t great and it took him almost as many shots to produce 17 points per game.
And Ball did this in 31.3 minutes per game. So Ball isn’t exactly a great shooter or scorer in general. He is inefficient and even his passing comes with some turnovers and in turn sloppiness. Ball shot nearly 7 3’s per game in the NBL, and made just under 2. Ball has also shown a tendency for doing something flashy instead of getting it the right way. He will try and force things when they’re not there, just for an ESPN Top 10.
And Ball’s defense isn’t any work of art either. Ball averaged nearly 2 steals per game but nobody is raving about his defense. He is long and lengthy, but he is very skinny and guard bigger guys. But he doesn’t show much effort and can be slow at times defensively.
So Ball doesn’t have many skills that scream transcendent star. Ball certainly is unique, but he is inefficient and sloppy on offense. He doesn’t have a great skillset such as other guys like Anthony Edwards. His defense is below average and in this day in age with all the scoring, Ball poses a huge threat. So when I think of a superstar talent coming out of the draft, Lamelo Ball is not one of the names on that list.
Is He Fit To Be A Franchise Player?
We’ve already established that Ball’s talent is far overrated and he doesn’t have the best offensive skillset to be a superstar in the league today. And with that said, Ball is likely to be a top-3 pick and I just don’t get it. You’ve got rumors that the Pistons want to trade up from their current spot at #7 and try and get Ball. This makes no sense to me.
Ball doesn’t have talent that he has shown us that he can lead a team with the skills that he has. He is turnover prone and not inspired on defense. I fear that if he is the #1 on a team, that he will take over and become very inefficient. The best place for Ball would be a place like the Warriors or Timberwolves. These teams already have established scorers and Ball can slowly learn his place instead of being thrust into a role he’s not ready for.
But I doubt that either the Warriors or the Timberwolves select Ball, and they shouldn’t. The T-Wolves need Edwards with the #1 pick and the Warriors need Wiseman at #2. Ball cannot be trusted with the reigns of a franchise, going to places like Detroit and Charlotte will only hurt young young “phenom.”
Ball is one of the most intriguing prospects we’ve seen in a while. He is hyped up as being a potential superstar in the league, yet we haven’t seen anything proving that his talent is worthy of being a franchise player. His marketability is his best trait as people know him by name and less for what his offensive skillset is. Ball is inefficient and sloppy. His defense is suspect. Ball is by far the biggest risk in this draft and the boom or bust guy, similar to Luka Doncic in 2018. But I just don’t see Lamelo Ball becoming a star in today’s NBA for a multitude of reasons.
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