OT: LaMelo Ball , is he the real deal?

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B-Roy said:
He looks better than both Wiseman and Edwards. His movement on the floor is so fluid. Color me surprised. A lot depends on his ability to consistently hit a shot though.
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Wiseman is a stud. Once edwards figures it out he should be pretty good. But Ball will for sure have lots of cool passes and triple doubles.
 
bobf said:
Luka and LaMello. Dawning of the big PG era.
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Oscar, Magic, Pippen, LBJ to name a few more of the best ones over time. The advantages a big PG has have always been obvious and highly valued, but there continues to be a shortage of guys who can pull it off.

STOMP
 
I soured on him when he was a Laker. Just can't seem to get that out of my mind.
 
STOMP said:
Oscar, Magic, Pippen, LBJ to name a few more of the best ones over time. The advantages a big PG has have always been obvious and highly valued, but there continues to be a shortage of guys who can pull it off.
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Penny Hardaway was another big point guard--he looked pretty great until injuries ended the high-level part of his career. As I recall, Penny was often compared to Magic, as a prospect and young NBA player.

Obviously, Ben Simmons should be mentioned in this discussion.

To me, the thing that will determine whether LaMelo Ball belongs in that conversation or ends up just an empty-calories stat-stuffer is whether he becomes a solid or better defender. If he can't hold up on defense, he'll have nice-looking stat lines but a much weaker effect on winning games.
 
Minstrel said:
As I recall, Penny was often compared to Magic, as a prospect and young NBA player.
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Magic himself made the comparison (paraphrasing: "playing against him is like looking in the mirror") after the Dream Team scrimmaged against a college squad including Penny.
 
handiman said:
Magic himself made the comparison (paraphrasing: "playing against him is like looking in the mirror") after the Dream Team scrimmaged against a college squad including Penny.
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Loved Magic, but his game is in NO WAY similar to Penny's.
 
THE HCP said:
Loved Magic, but his game is in NO WAY similar to Penny's.
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I think it was the vision and ability to direct all the action on the court. I agree, though, their skills and style of play don't feel all that similar.
 
handiman said:
I think it was the vision and ability to direct all the action on the court. I agree, though, their skills and style of play don't feel all that similar.
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Ya his court vision might have been what he was talking about.
 
He looks good. In a Ben Simmons kind of way. Sag off him and beg him to shoot. I know he’s much better from deep then Simmons. But I don’t see the dude making you pay from playing off him consistently
 
MickZagger said:
He looks good. In a Ben Simmons kind of way. Sag off him and beg him to shoot. I know he’s much better from deep then Simmons. But I don’t see the dude making you pay from playing off him consistently
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He won’t. You either can shoot or you can’t right? Interesting you said in a Ben Simmons kinda way. You mean like a future all star. In spite of the fact that Simmons can’t shoot, he’s one of the best players in the league. I’ve said it before, when somebody who CAN’T shoot can get a triple double, that’s amazing to me.
 
THE HCP said:
He won’t. You either can shoot or you can’t right? Interesting you said in a Ben Simmons kinda way. You mean like a future all star. In spite of the fact that Simmons can’t shoot, he’s one of the best players in the league. I’ve said it before, when somebody who CAN’T shoot can get a triple double, that’s amazing to me.
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I guess I’m saying, that there are guys in this league who can shoot their asses off and can only dream of getting a triple double.
 
THE HCP said:
He won’t. You either can shoot or you can’t right? Interesting you said in a Ben Simmons kinda way. You mean like a future all star. In spite of the fact that Simmons can’t shoot, he’s one of the best players in the league.
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A big part of that is that Simmons can defend positions 1-5 and is a DPoY-caliber player. If Simmons didn't have that kind of all-world defensive ability, he wouldn't be among the best players in the league.

I get that Ball is 19, but I find it unlikely that he'll ever reach "world destroyer" level on defense, considering where he's starting on that end. So, if Ball is ever going to reach Simmons-level, he's going to have to become at least a competent defender and a solid shooter.
 
Minstrel said:
I get that Ball is 19, but I find it unlikely that he'll ever reach "world destroyer" level on defense, considering where he's starting on that end.
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Did Simmons have a defensive reputation in college? Seems like he was considered a [lazy] offensive player, and the defense came later. I didn't watch much of him, though.
 
handiman said:
Did Simmons have a defensive reputation in college? Seems like he was considered a [lazy] offensive player, and the defense came later. I didn't watch much of him, though.
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I watch all his college games and it just came ssh easy to him. He dominated and it looked like he was just coasting out there.
 
Ball has all the hype but I think Haliburton is a better player.
 
handiman said:
Did Simmons have a defensive reputation in college? Seems like he was considered a [lazy] offensive player, and the defense came later. I didn't watch much of him, though.
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You're correct that he was perceived to coast on that end prior to the NBA, but it seemed like most scouts (who's opinions were publicly available) felt that he showed a lot of defensive ability the times he locked in and cruised because he didn't feel challenged.

I was actually skeptical of that...I'm not convinced by "he's just bored, he can do way better if he tries," but it seems to have worked out that way.
 
THE HCP said:
That ain’t bad company for this youngin’
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The fact that Jason Kidd (not a great shooter out of college), made 7 threes, in an era where teams shot a total of 15 threes a game is amazing!

He only averaged 1.4 made 3's on 4.1 attempts over his entire career.
 
Man that Dallas team was a mess, but the 3 Js sure were fun to watch!
 
Unless something bizarre happens, he is a ROTY lock. More importantly the Hornets are winning games so his numbers contribute to wins.
 
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