> Dell Curry, the father who seeded and nurtured this force of basketball, shook his head when asked about his sonβs road map to 3-point riches. > > βIn Chicago the other day I saw LaMelo Ball's dad at the game wearing a hat that said: I Told You So,β said Dell, mentioning the bombastic father of LaMelo and Lonzo. > > βWell, my hat would say: I Had No Idea.β > > On several occasions after George Karl blew his whistle to signal the end of Bucksβ practice in 1999, a curious phenomenon occurred. Instead of going home, players gathered βround to witness the show featuring a Holy Trinity of shooters: Allen, who was in the early stages of becoming the most prolific 3-point shooter the NBA ever saw, Dell Curry, winding down a 14-year career as the most accurate distance shooter at the time (47.6% that season) and young Steph, all of 10 years old. > > The three teamed up and challenged all comers in shooting contests. > βWe never lost a game,β Dell says.
> Karl, the coach, was so charmed by the kid that he demanded that Dell bring him whenever possible. And Allen? He told the father: βMan, do you know what you have here?β > > Not long after he was born in 1988, Steph would attend his fatherβs games in a portable crib, and Dell noticed how βhe woke up when the game started, stayed awake the whole time, then fell back to sleep when it was over.β > > And Steph recalls: βWhen I was 3 or 4, I have faint memories of going to a Hornets game. When I was 6 they beat Boston in the first round in the playoffs and Alonzo (Mourning) hit that jumper from the free-throw line. My father was the inbounds passer on that play. So I have these strong memories of watching basketball. Maybe by osmosis and being around the environment I developed a love for it, developed an understanding of how the game was played. Then I fell in love with shooting while watching my dad. It wasnβt intentional, it was natural.β
LaMelo Ball had a more severe reaction to contracting COVID-19 than his other teammates, all of whole returned to the court earlier than Ball. Ball spent a few days working on conditioning with the Hornets G-League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, where his brother LiAngelo currently plays.
Full Quote:
βI was about to eat some dinner,β the Charlotte Hornets point guard said Friday. βIβm like, βHold on. Itβs cold as hell.β And then Iβm asking people like, βAre yβall cold?β They are like, βNah, Iβm not cold. You are trippin.β
βIβm like, βAhh, sβ,β β Ball said. βAnd then that night right there, thatβs when it hit. I took like nine showers because Iβd go to sleep for like 30 minutes, wake up and be sweating. And Iβd go shower. Then Iβd go to bed, be cold as hell and wake up, take a hot shower."
βPretty much I was just sleeping the whole day,β he said. βI felt so tired. I couldnβt do nothing. And my head was pounding. Then I would go from cold to hot, sleep. Iβm just tired now.β
Knowing the Hornets are finally at full strength perks him up.
"Itβs a blessing, especially with everything going around,β Ball said. βIt feels like we are very blessed to have the whole team. And as you can see itβs more and more people. Every time on Twitter, I see it, somebody elseβs name.β
At 20 years old, LaMelo Ball is on pace to be the youngest player ever to do this feat.
Dejounte Murray is 0.1 RPG from also being a part of this group, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game to Jakob Poetl's 8.5. Luka Doncic, Paul George, Julius Randle, Josh Giddey and Trae Young all lead their teams in 3/4ths of the categories.
Source: Basketball Reference
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401360148
LaMelo went bananas with a career high in both points and 3s made in a game
LaMelo finishes the game with 32/11/8 1 stl on 12/22 (4/9 3pt, 4/4 ft)
He has absolutely changed this franchise. The confidence this kid oozes is remarkable.
Hornets are on a 5 game winning streak with two this week being the Wizards and Warriors. Melo could very well be Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
Who would you take at this point in their careers, LaMelo Ball or Anthony Edwards? Five years from now?
To me, they are very different players which always makes this conversation interesting
LaMelo- really good shooter, generational vision and passing combined with incredible feel for the game and fantastic ball handling. Incredible advanced stats especially considering his age. Nothing special athletically, his vertical is actually kind of bad during games, but is very fast. potential for better finishing inside as he gains weight, currently not a good defender as he gets caught ball watching while off-ball more than you would like but has a lot of potential on that end given his length and IQ. Needs better shot selection and general discipline Ceiling: Magic Johnson with a 3 pointer.(prob not an undisputed top 2 pg of all time tho)
ANT: generational athleticism, explosive and fast, good iso scorer given his good handle and strength(does get out of control while dribbling more than u like), needs to improve shot selection drastically and cut back on 3βs until he can make them more often. Has shown more ability to take over games than lamelo IMO. Lacks basketball IQ but isnβt so bad that you donβt think he canβt improve in this way. More defensive potential than Lamelo given his athleticism and strength and is a better defender currently. Ceiling: idk his is harder to gauge but could be an MVP if he reaches it.
My take: itβs close but I go with Lamelo for both. I think Lamelo is definitely having the better season so far, although Ant has had some incredible bright spots, and I think LaMelo is more likely to reach his potential. Something that I noticed is that he doesnβt get very many plays drawn up offensively, and those more often go to Bridges, Hayward, and rozier, while ANT has a lot of freedom in his offense(his supporting cast of role players is definitely worse tho).I could 100% go either way though so Iβm not betting my life on anything at this point.
Lamelo Ball tonight: 31 points on 11-23 shooting and 7-9 from 3, 9 board, 7 assists, and only 1 turnover!
>Nikola VuΔeviΔ on watching Lonzo and LaMelo Ball match up tonight: "I hope one day my sons get to do that."
> Who won the matchup between Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball tonight? > > Nikola Vucevic: "We won the game. That's all that matters, right?"
> For both Lonzo and LaMelo Ball, the bond always goes back to the backyard. > > There, along with middle brother LiAngelo and father LaVar, they built the foundation for future success. > > "Lot of backyard battles," Lonzo said Monday morning, in advance of their third NBA matchup. > > Added LaMelo: "We was always working out every day, always in the backyard, always training." > > For years, the brothers played together on the same team. But with the Pelicans and Hornets splitting two meetings last season, Monday night's matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Charlotte Hornets provides an opportunity for one of the brothers to earn some temporary bragging rights. > > Not that Lonzo would take it. > > "My Dad is always talking. But as far as me and Melo, we haven't really said too much," Lonzo said. "We still just talk regular just as brothers, not really going against each other." > > The bond is real. The appreciation for the lessons LaVar taught them is palpable. Both guards are as unselfish, pass-first players as one can find in the league. > > "Probably my Pops just teaching us how to play at an early age, always looking up the floor and finding the open man," Lonzo said when asked where that trait originates. "So definitely was instilled by our father."
> > Both Lonzo and LaMelo said they know each other's games well, honed from my hours in the backyard and as AAU teammates. > > "I think his uniqueness," Lonzo said when asked what he most admires about LaMelo's game. "I think he plays how he wants to play. And he's been doing that his whole life. Just a different kind of style of play, but it works for him." > > Asked what he admires about him as a brother, Lonzo didn't hesitate. > > "Just his work ethic," he said. "Working out with him from a young age, he put a lot into the game. And you can see he's getting all the benefits now." > > Does Lonzo see any similarities in their games? > > "I think yes and no. Growing up, I was more of a point guard. He was like a two guard. But he has point guard skills obviously. He can do both. He's a great scorer," Lonzo said. "We played together for a long time. So he took a lot from my game but I think he adapted it to his own thing." > > Lonzo is averaging 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.7
... keep reading on reddit β‘Just one assist away from a triple double as Lamelo continues his all star campaign and his ownership of the pacers. Was easily the most impactful player on the court tonight
Source: NBA.com
Lamelo has officially completed his down payment on the Milwaukee bucks with another top-notch performance and yet another clutch bucket. Great too see him thrive in the late game, slower half court situations which heβll have to do in the playoffs.
Source: https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/lamelo-against-bucks
On today's Hollinger & Duncan NBA Show Podcast, Nate Duncan of /r/Duncd_On said that he thinks Anthony Edwards has a slightly higher chance of being a top-5 player than LaMelo Ball. Do you agree?
However, if he were to redraft the 2020 Draft, Nate did say he would take Ball #1 and Ant #2, because he thinks LaMelo's median career will be better than that of Edwards.
It's probably about time LaMelo is taken seriously as one of the leagues premier "limitless range" 3-point shooters. He also ranks top 20 in 3-point shot making as a whole, which is a metric from bball-index.com that takes into account a bunch of different aspects of three point shooting like creation, shot quality, distance, efficiency, etc.
He was taking these deep threes in high school as well so it's not surprising that he's been so good from three this year. The volume is there too, taking 7.1 3PA per game. Good stuff from him.
Source: https://www.bball-index.com/data-tools-package/player-profiles/
https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1467138649431158788?s=21
Lamelo has established himself as an extremely effective rebounder especially on the offensive glass and puts up some of the most meaningful rebound stat lines among guards in the league. Just another way he impacts the game at a different level than his peers.
Source: https://www.teamrankings.com/nba/player-stat/rebounds-offensive
https://twitter.com/underdog__nba/status/1470771163911577616?s=21
Lamelo Ball tonight: 27/9/7 shooting 50% from the field and 44% from 3
Lamelo bounces back in a big way after two uncharacteristicly rough outings. Sending Dame to the shadow realm.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.espn.com/nba/preview/_/gameId/401359914%3Fplatform%3Damp
Steph continues to be amazing, looking like he's going to run away with his 3rd MVP. Well deserved.
After that, looks like the father of the Balls appears to have raised a couple of point gawds. Obviously RAPTOR WAR isn't perfect, but still pretty impressive that they are both already elite point guards per advanced metrics this early into their careers.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/nba-player-ratings/
Source: https://twitter.com/Bballforeverfb/status/1466564287292329984?t=NcVqEhkMxHkEaUfG4L6YSg&s=19
Okay, this is kind of an outrageous Lebron-type stat. I grew up a Lamelo stan and followed his entire journey to the NBA so trust me when I say tht I love me some Melon Ball. I always knew he was extremely talented, his feathery touch and vision were always ridiculous, but I never expected this.
I imagined it would take his whole rookie contract (and some) before he gets to THIS point and that he had All Star ceiling but, Jesus Christ he's obliterated past whatever ceiling I thought he had. Now, idk what he could trun into. The craziest part about Lamelo is, Ik this has become a bit clichΓ© but, he's no where near his ceiling. He still looks lanky, like a growing teen and should be able to add muscle on his frame like Lonzo did
[Perley] JB says LaMelo Ball told him to "ride out Ish" in the fourth quarter
The Hornets won today's encounter against Brooklyn behind massive fourth quarters from Ishmael Larry Smith and Cody Martin
>Then Lonzo struggled as the number two pick with the Lakers, LaVar retreated from the spotlight, and 16-year-old LaMelo decided to leave high school and skip college for professional basketball in Lithuania, where LiAngelo joined him, and then Australia. Naturally, he has no regrets: βYou wanna go to the league, so school's not your priority.β He thinks the NCAA has to change and there should be more options for kids to make money before they get to the NBA (the Supreme Court opened a pathway toward that in a landmark ruling shortly after our interview). βWe not trippin' off school. We not dumb. We know how to learn. We don't need school. And school not even teachin' you shitβwhat the fuck is school?β
This whole story is a trip and recommended reading lmfao
> LaMelo Ball said he knew the Hornets were winning. > > "Coming in today I felt like we were going to win. I seen the Panthers, they were playing the Cardinals. And I seen they were like 8-1 or something. I'm like, 'Dang this kind of lines up.' I feel like we might win too. And we won." > > > ------ > > Following up on Fridayβs performance in which he became the first guard in franchise history to record multiple 15-rebound games, Ball was a catalyst in the first half for the Hornets. > > He pumped in 15 points in the opening quarter alone and made sure they matched the Warriorsβ intensity from the outset. Ball finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists, and made good decisions in the final seconds to ensure the Hornets had an opportunity to squeeze it out late. > > βYeah, I just let the game come to me,β Ball said. βI feel like those shots starting off, they were right there. So I was just shooting them and then they were going in. So the points came quick. And then after that I got back in and it really wasnβt the scoring (that) we needed. We needed ball movement, assists, rebounds and stuff. So I was trying to do anything to help the team win.β > > Ball drew some pretty good praise from Golden Stateβs Draymond Green. > > βExtremely gifted,β Green said. βHe is a gifted floor general and he shot the ball extremely well in the first half, and he gives these guys confidence. It is good to see from a young guy and how he commands the respect from his teammates the way that he does. And you can see the way they respond to him and how they react to him. And it takes a special person and player to be in his second year and getting the respect that he does from those guys, so it is good to see.β
> > The Boston Celtics guard was the victim of a mean LaMelo Ball crossover/stepback 3-pointer combo in the third quarter of Monday's game in Charlotte. But Smart's Celtics outlasted Ball's Hornets for a 140-129 victory. So, when asked after the game about Ball putting him on a highlight reel, Smart took the long view. > > "It happens. I'm a defender. Just like a shot blocker, you're gonna get dunked on a few times," Smart said. "All he did was make a good move, stopped, and I just stopped. > > "... As we know, a player like him, I'm gonna make up for it, and I did it twice. ... He's going to get all of the Overtime, House of Highlights, SportsCenter (highlights) and all that, but we got the win and that's all that matters."
Elite night from both of them. Rozier paced the Hornets in scoring on wildly efficient shooting while adding 8 triples while Lamelo had himself a 28/13 double double with 7 assists. The playoff hopeful Hornets defeated the Wizards tonight 108-103 on the backs of these two and Hayward who also played well
Rozier: 32 points 4 assists 2 steals on 11/19 shooting and 8/11 from 3
LaMelo: 28 points 13 rebounds 7 assists on 10/24 shooting
Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/player/_/id/3074752/terry-rozier
>Then Lonzo struggled as the number two pick with the Lakers, LaVar retreated from the spotlight, and 16-year-old LaMelo decided to leave high school and skip college for professional basketball in Lithuania, where LiAngelo joined him, and then Australia. Naturally, he has no regrets: βYou wanna go to the league, so school's not your priority.β He thinks the NCAA has to change and there should be more options for kids to make money before they get to the NBA (the Supreme Court opened a pathway toward that in a landmark ruling shortly after our interview). βWe not trippin' off school. We not dumb. We know how to learn. We don't need school. And school not even teachin' you shitβwhat the fuck is school?β
>Let me rephraseβ¦school not for everybody. Now if you wanna be a doctorβ¦ betta take that ass to school.
>so please don't b going to ya mommas talkin bout some ion wanna do school "melo said u don't need it" when u not like tht and not all the way invested in ya PLAN A which in my case was the (league)
