The fear was that LaMelo Ball’s once noisy and now apparently dumb father, LaVar, was authoritarian. That his seemingly reckless playing style at school and abroad would make him a terrible NBA teammate. That he will not be able to correct his pitch to produce in the NBA. That it has a dangerously low floor compared to other possible lottery options.
We’ve heard everything in some way. Many of us had the same reservations.
On any website of your choice – although you should probably be careful – if you search for the term “bust of LaMelo Ball,” a plethora of pitches projecting your fall will likely appear. Was a foolproof practice on YouTube, that was written about locally, and it was hypothesized across Twitter until recently. Before Ball took an NBA hash mark, was already one of the most criticized athletes in the league.
With only 26 games in its first NBA season, Rookie of the Year is a one-person race. You can’t even make money by betting on him anymore on most sports betting because he’s one of the favorites. With an average of 14.3 points, 6.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds, Ball leads all newcomers in points and assists and is James Wiseman’s second rebound, which is a 2.13-meter pivot.
Ball also averages 27 minutes per game, tied for fourth place among the rookies, and didn’t start a game until Terry Rozier’s absence on February 1. But just two games later, Ball started alongside Rozier and fellow guard Devonte Graham. He exploded to the top of the team with 34 points and 8 assists in almost 40 minutes of play. Graham’s has since suffered a groin strain, keeping Ball on the court with Rozier.
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One of Ball’s biggest concerns when he entered the NBA was his kick, which he improved after an unfavorable start. Now, Ball is shooting almost 44% of the field and about 36% of three. Since January 30 – his last game off the bench before six consecutive starts – Ball has averaged 22.4 points, 6.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent in three, more than 48 percent. 92.6 percent of the free-throw line in almost four attempts per game.
And in addition to the surface level numbers, Ball still made an impact by winning more than many of his teammates in Charlotte, accounting for 1.7 wins, third behind Gordon Hayward (2.6) and Rozier (2.0 ). Ball is also third in winning stock for 48 minutes (from anyone who hasn’t wasted significant time) at 0.120. Ball, surprisingly, also leads the team in the plus-minus defensive area (0.9), despite not having a reputation for stopping. He’s also at the top of the Hornets in the plus-minus box (3.0) if you don’t consider Vernon Carey, who played only three games.
Ball has been good enough The jump he is even considering whether they will be with him or Ja Morant for the next five years.
This may be too ambitious, but Ball’s younger brother is the rookie of the year. In addition, it took him only a few dozen games to separate from his class and make those who were sorry pessimists. This does not mean that people were not optimistic either, and those who had high hopes for Ball are looking like geniuses today.