The Curious Case of LaMelo Ball

his box office his basketball IQ he 67 but lamelo lamelo special Off to the Races what do you got yes lamelo ball 22 years old is one of the NBA's biggest names a Cornerstone for a desperate and deprived Hornets franchise yet as he sits out on the sidelines again his exuberant facade has begun to draw questions yeah it's not unfamiliar for lamelo fame and money have been ever present in his life since young and thus so is the spotlight and the question marks that come with it so I'll take you back to where it all started lamelo is destined for basketball startup his father and mother both Collegiate basketball players and as soon as the man could walk he was playing ball and soon enough he was 13 years and committed to UCLA yes a 13-year-old had committed to one of the biggest colleges in the US before playing high school ball following his two older brothers both of which were NBA caliber talents lamelo had basketball maturity Beyond these years playing 17 and under comp since he was 11 years old and entering the 20156 season as a 14-year-old lamelo and the Three Brothers would start for Chino Hills as they formed arguably the best high school team of all time cruising to 35 and0 lamelo averaging 16 points and four assists per game receiving National freshman of the Year honors as Lonzo left to UCLA in the following year lamelo took the keys to the team and we began to see the star Blossom his flashiness and endless bag Drew attention and clicks but poor efficiency at times and a real lack of Defense Drew question marks about his style translating to the highest levels I mean the kid scored 92 points in a game barely Crossing half court I mean half of them were just straight up Cherry picks but I mean 92 points with 92 points a however with lamelo ball came a traveling circus a reality TV show camera crew hounds of fans his own shoe brand and Lavar Bol due to lamelo's own shoe deal he was ineligible to play college basketball under the Neil RS and after Lavar grew displeasures lamelo was faced with tough decisions and this is where it gets interesting unfortunately for lamelo his dad was making all the decisions in hindsight it worked considering two of the brothers are in the NBA but it put unnecessary stress and scrutiny on lamelo as fans unjustifiably grew displeasure for the bull Brothers simply because of their father with college out of the picture down the road lamelo would play in lith Alania against Caesar and Pros his slight frame began to sprout now standing close to 65 however it didn't take long to realize that the Lithuanian experience was merely a cash grab an opportunity to generate content for the Big Bowler Brand's online platforms lamelo was praised for his talent but critiqued for his laziness whilst the free environment at Chino Hills had worked it was clear for lamelo to gain serious scouting recognition more concrete and structured programs were needed outside his father's power as not even one NBA Scout would come to watch him in Lithuania lamelo himself even agreeing that Lithuania was a turning point hella cold nobody around that's pretty much what I just locked in I didn't give a where I got drafted to finally come his senior year he'd play for spy Institute a prep school in Ohio after his father declared the greatest show in high school Hoops is back big things were expected and lamelo would deliver a successful campaign he had grown two further inches but maintained his Elite guard skills from Chino Hills his smooth handle passing instincts and creativity stood out he could whip the ball all over the floor with either hand and has has the confidence to make the big plays yet again NBA Scouts were wary as ball was yet to play in any USA basketball games and all High School showcase events where Executives generally get their first extended look at prep players many still wondered if his talent outweighed the noise of drafting a 17-year-old celebrity was he merely a social media star yet lamelo would silence critics in his next move next year take my talents to the NBL for the El Hawks ball [Applause] driving this is the number one picking [Music] the one the the NBL was one of the better basketball leagues outside of the NBA and lamelo instantly proved his worth against the pros 177 and 8 all beat on 37% shooting which of course raised doubts but Scouts could see through the shooting splits in recog of an 18-year-old playing in a serious pro league with serious implications and flashing all worldly offensive upside having once been looking into the NBA draft scene from the outside in the span of a couple years lamelo had worked himself to a top three NBA lock in the 2020 [Music] draft Melo would fall to pick three drafted by the Charlotte Hornets an undesirable franchise destination to say the least but at least Lavar was off his casee and lamelo could hoop freely and as we know the NBA Spotlight was nothing for him having been in the downlight for half a decade prior as a rookie lamelo had become the youngest player to hit 7 threes in an NBA game filling out his Potential from outside the ark improving 10% from Deep since his NBL stin but already at 19 he had become one of the League's best passes he could fit the ball into any pocket and brought back some of the 9s flare into the game that that fans most desired to describe it best he looked like he was having fun out there and making it look easy in the process simply a continuation from his Cho Hills days making him so enjoyable to watch like this highlight reel is ridiculous for a rookie but it wasn't merely the eye test that drove his Rookie of the Year campaign 166 and six averages highlighted a productive season for ball receiving Rookie of the Year having just had 31 starts in 51 total games it was safe to say lamelo had put any doubts left to rest in the following year he reached a different Stratosphere of shooting standing amongst the League's best Shooters at 39% while spotting up all over the court but lamelo despite being 67 his lack of verticality strength and tendencies to jump at bigger shot blockers made him one of the worst finishes around the rim where amongst those with four shots around the rim he was second last at 53% behind the the likes of Trey young and Tyrese Maxi all significantly smaller guards and unfortunately for lamelo he's almost got worse at finishing and until he gets rid of his dodgy finger rolls in traffic it's likely to continue being a glaring weakness in a strong all round game having said all this he was the fourth youngest Allstar ever and in his second year averages of 27 and 8 were remarkable for the still raw lamelo ball the media and public could care less about his flamboy character and flashy off thee Court lifestyle while he was producing and as the team continued to develop and pieces were added alongside lamelo a playoff birth was imminent unfortunately for lamelo and the Hornets their playoff aspirations would be put to hold lamelo still down and lamelo says he needs to come out of the game lamelo ball is feared to be out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury Lamela would suffer five injuries in the 2022 2023 season four of which were ankle injuries sidelining him for 46 games in spite of this the Hornets and lamelo would a grade to a 260 million 5year Max extension and rightly so you don't often get a star player like a lamelo and a small franchise team and one year of reoccurring injuries was an insignificant mitigating Factor yet sadly this year the Run of ankle injuries would continue as three more would pile on resulting in lamelo missing 38 out of a possible 60 games as of recording the media and fans would begin to question if these injuries are career altering lamelo stint on the sideline has coincided with a stigma groing around Hornet's plays being immature and irresponsible would inevitably fall onto lamelo whose off thee Court character has been carelessly questioned whilst he's not playing leak surfaced of his reckless driving as he's caught running multiple red lights and recently in a blowout loss lamelo is seen laughing former NBA player Chan La Parsons describing it as an awful look they're so used to losing they've created the worst habits where they're like that's just life there telling was LeBron James in a recent interview I see a lot of these young kids they get so unfocused about stuff that that is um so material that they can they can lose their focus just worry about the game when you worry about the game everything take care of itself a message that coexists with melo's big extension in the offseason and exuberant appearances off the court with his jewelry and cars however I think it's all Bs a smoke screen a talking point whil Lelo is sidelined whilst they do agree that the Hornet as a whole are unserious acquiring some new vets to unify the young kids could go a long way to fixing the cultural problem in Charlotte and I winning solves everything and with key injuries to lamelo and Mark Williams losing is almost a inevitable for the depleted roster and on the court lamelo has given no signs that he can't contribute to winning basketball it's ultimately down to him staying healthy not that he's buying too much jewelry what's next to State the obvious lamelo needs to get healthy if he could somehow get in touch with Steph Curry who similarly dealt with a barrage of ankle injuries early in his career it could do him wonders as Steph has mitigated his ankle issues since and assuming health I really don't think the War are that far from a playoff birth lamelo and Brandon Miller both have all NBA potential forming a solid Trio alongside Mark Williams in the front Court as miles brid's future on the team Looms in the air Trey man could also definitely hold the bench as a six-man and as they continue to build through the draft their team could assemble quicker than some might think as for lamelo specifically his shot selection is an unsustainable diet of deep threes and deep floaters at times he must look to expand out if his predictable floaters and get stronger to initiate first contact with bigs with various changes of pace Owen defensively on ball he's been serviceable but he can be erratic much like his offensive play style leading to fouls and gambling steals lamelo's only 22 and with a decade ahead of him his potential is endless

Channel: HAZZ

Views: 114,071

Keywords: lamely, lamelo, lamely ball, NBA

Id: VP8n0eR2Qtk

Length: 11min 22sec (682 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 08 2024