Ball has been underachieving this year. This is not how he was advertised to be. He was supposed to suck on defense which he doesn't. He was supposed to be a good shooter which he isn't. He was supposed to make everyone better, which he hasn't. He was supposed to be able to finish around the rim, which he absolutely sucks at. I'm also kind of getting tired of people raving about his rebounding etc...who cares? Thats certainly not a skillset I'm looking for when choosing a PG. He must make great decisions, he must be able to handle the ball under pressure, make the DAMN freebies, shoot from the perimeter and get to the rim. He is shooting 44% in the paint, he is shooting 20 something percent from 3s, he is barely making half of his freethrows and he hasn't really given this team the on court playmaker in half court sets they need so bad. To sum things up: He has been a disappointment.
Ingram wasn't all that great either his first year until after the all-star break. That's sometimes what you get when you draft 19 year olds. Kuzma, on the other hand, is 22 years old. He's played 3 years of college ball. I'm not saying all the kids should go to college, there are exceptions like Lebron, Kobe, KG, etc, but BI and Ball are the kind of examples NBA owners will bring up when they talk about ending the one and done rule.
revgen, I agree that drafting 19 year olds has some growing pains attached to it. Although for the Lakers you can scratch the word "sometimes". But when Ball is historically terrible, then this is not the norm even for 19 year olds. Shooting 31% from the floor certainly isn't asking too much. Making free throws isn't either. His issues aren't exactly maturity-related so far. Its more him just not being good/aggressive enough.
if the reports about his practice shooting are accurate, then it's a mental issue. but i'm not sure that's better.
I think it's honestly not that big a deal. It's a bit of a bummer for us fans who have to be patient. I still see the bones of a truly great player in Lonzo. We're going to get these ups and downs. It's a bummer he's not LeBron or something, but he'll be fine.
Hmm, there might have been a problem with DLoading my post to your machine. Now I know what to get you for christmas. Btw nice selective quoting there to create your own interpretation on my post. You could have a promising career as an ESPN sound bite editor. Looks like fun...Here, let me give it a whirl: Why thank you! Its cause I got...
while i agree dlo had attitude issues, Magic oversold it to compensate for the trade, what dlo producing this yr doesnt suggest players dont want to play with him n or doesnt take gm seriously
Can anyone tell me what Ingram’s shooting percentage was at this some point last year? I don’t think it was quite as bad but it certainly wasn’t good. I do think Ball will have to shoot better next year but he’s got a lot of pluses. He’s young and he needs to get stronger. I’d like to see him take it to the rim more often but his body can’t take the pounding. Same problem as Ingram last year. I’m still on the Ball train but he has work to do over the summer, like any rookie. His game would definitely look better with shooters around him.
Lonzo's shooting woes remind me of Dwight's free throw struggles when he was here. Didn't he shoot like 80% in practice? We all know how that decreased dramatically once it was a live game. Thankfully, Lonzo is young and has time to figure it out.
Through 23 games last season: 8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.6 blocks, 1.5 turnovers, 36.4 FG%, 28 3PT%, 78.2 FT% Lonzo's 23 games: 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.8 blocks, 2.7 turnovers, 31.3 FG%, 25 3PT%, 50.0 FT%
Thanks Real. I’m kinda surprised about Ingram’s free throw percentage. I don’t remember him being very good at the start of last year. Ball’s FT percent is horrendous.
That is a MAJOR problem that Ball can't shoot FTs. He is the guy that is supposed to handle the ball under pressure. If he can't make a FT, then teams can just foul him as an equivalent to a Lonzo turnover. I mean nobody on the Lakers shoots 80% from the line, they are at 71% as a team which is good for dead last.
i feel like his demeanor is the same as it was in college. kidd was like that, too, for most of his career. i'm not as optimistic about his shooting as others, but i think he has everything else. but that's ricky rubio. good, but...
I’m certainly not in the kid’s head, but I think all the outside drama with his family may be getting to him. Just in the past month: 1) LiAngelo caught shoplifting and held in China 2) Lavar pulls LaMelo out of high school to be homeschooled. 3) Lavar gets into a war of words with Trump 4) Lavar publicly criticizes Lakers coaching staff 5) Lavar pulls LaMelo out of UCLA On top of that his mother is still recovering from a stroke. He appears to be VERY TIGHT with his younger brothers, so it has to affect him in someway. Unfortunately, he may have to distance himself from Lavar, similar to how Kobe had to do with his parents. The kid just looks mentally checked out on the court to me. It’s concerning.
So much ^^^ THIS. Plus let's remember he is having a problem with his calf or is it both. Maybe is learning to be a pro you just don't talk about injuries. That would go a long way to explaining why he's not attacking the rim like he has in some of his best games.
