It's official A.D. to Lakers [MERGED] (2 Viewers)

[St. Widge]

I don’t know why people are so against keeping Ball. The guy has a rare set of elite skills. Sure he doesn’t have much of a mid jumper under pressure but his passing, IQ, ball control, and 3 pt shooting should allow him to improve into a real strong asset very soon. Combine that with the young athletic talent the team will surround him with and Gentry’s offense and I see a situation where Ball could really be something special for this team.

I think the concern is that he can't shoot and he is an abysmal FT shooter. Plus, there are concerns that his dad is going to cause trouble with team chemistry.

Personally, I'm willing to give him a shot since, as you said, he has a lot of talent and there isn't a better option on the team at PG right now anyway. But, he will need to develop a better shot both as a 3P shooter and a mid-range jumper. Being 38% on FG% and 31.5% 3P shooting is going to be hard to keep on the court when he also has issues shooting free throws.

And, he is going to need to get much better as at FT shooter or they won't be able to keep him on the Court to close out games. He shoots like 43% from the FT line. If that continues, other teams will just hack a Lonzo if he is on the court at the end of games.

 

[rsmith2783]

Exactly. The major problem with Monty Williams, other than picking the wrong young vets and bad injury luck, is that he traded away all our picks and tried to sign a winning team of young vets in free agency or through trades. That doesn't really work in a small market because all your cap is tied up in your starters and you don't have role players like pure shooters or backups who can play during inevitable injuries.

I think you meant Dell Demps

 

[rsmith2783]

If we're keeping the 4th pick, we have to come away with Darius Garland. That kid is lights out!

 

[Magic_Leather_Jacket]

I think the concern is that he can't shoot and he is an abysmal FT shooter. Plus, there are concerns that his dad is going to cause trouble with team chemistry.

Personally, I'm willing to give him a shot since, as you said, he has a lot of talent and there isn't a better option on the team at PG right now anyway. But, he will need to develop a better shot both as a 3P shooter and a mid-range jumper. Being 38% on FG% and 31.5% 3P shooting is going to be hard to keep on the court when he also has issues shooting free throws.

And, he is going to need to get much better as at FT shooter or they won't be able to keep him on the Court to close out games. He shoots like 43% from the FT line. If that continues, other teams will just hack a Lonzo if he is on the court at the end of games.

I think some of those stats are a bit misleading regarding Zo.

First, the free throw % isn’t much of an issue for me considering the rate he goes to the line is nearly never. He’s one of the best at dishing assists to teammates after driving the lane for easy buckets and he doesn’t attack the basket to score when contested. Essentially if you look at the whole picture including those points he provides the team by assisting near the basket I think this concern is a wash. Also, I truly believe his ft percentage will improve with practice/experience.

As for his ability to hit the deep ball, he’s got the talent to hit em at a high percentage and with a better supporting cast/Gentry’s offense around him he’ll likely get more open looks there which will bump that % up for him. And I think there’s a bias surrounding him by analysts just bc of his funky shot.
To me he’s like a cross between Jason’s Williams and Jason Kidd.

 

[Brad Mojo]

 

[St. Widge]

I think some of those stats are a bit misleading regarding Zo.

First, the free throw % isn’t much of an issue for me considering the rate he goes to the line is nearly never. He’s one of the best at dishing assists to teammates after driving the lane for easy buckets and he doesn’t attack the basket to score when contested. Essentially if you look at the whole picture including those points he provides the team by assisting near the basket I think this concern is a wash. Also, I truly believe his ft percentage will improve with practice/experience.

That has it's own issues. You would expect a guy that can penetrate would get to the line more often and while part of that is that he is good at spotting the open man, it's also because he isn't a great finisher so he looks to pass instead of shoot. And I do think he can become a better FT shooter, but the big issue is that if he can't, you will have to put your staring point guard and best passer on the bench to finish games because otherwise teams will just foul him on every possession you get in the last 2 minutes of close games.

As for his ability to hit the deep ball, he’s got the talent to hit em at a high percentage and with a better supporting cast/Gentry’s offense around him he’ll likely get more open looks there which will bump that % up for him. And I think there’s a bias surrounding him by analysts just bc of his funky shot.
To me he’s like a cross between Jason’s Williams and Jason Kidd.

I mean, I don't know how having bad players around you makes you a worse 3P shooter. I mean, if he was the focus of that team and they had nobody else, I guess he would get more attention on D, but with Igram, LeBron, and Kuzma on that team, Ball would not have been the focus of a defense. So, I think a guy is either a good natural shooter or he isn't. They can improve some with practice, but the ceiling on his shooting is going to be fairly low no matter what. And, I know nothing about what analyst say about him. I just know he has shot 38% from the floor in two year in the NBA and 31.5% from the field. That's pretty bad on both numbers and the 38% is really weird for a guy who penetrates a lot and has his speed. He should be getting a lot of looks from up close.

Anyway, he is still young and does have a lot of talent with his quickness, speed, passing, defense, and court vision, so he is a useful player regardless. But to take the next step he needs to improve his shooting and especially his FT shooting.

 

[Magic_Leather_Jacket]

I mean, I don't know how having bad players around you makes you a worse 3P shooter.

Based on his slow and low release, he’s not going to be shooting over anyone so he’s gotta be pretty open at the 3. I’m just saying I think he’ll have more open shots in Gentry’s offense with talent suited for that offense. Next up, sign a big man with 3 pt range.

 

[Ragin Caucasian]

Teams have basically unlimited amounts of money, especially the Lakers.

How in the holy hell did they not have a shooting coach working with Lonzo from dusk till dawn, until that garbage looking jumper and free throw shot were fixed?

That should be priority #1 as soon as he lands in Nola. The shooting coach should be picking him up from the airport.

41% Free throws? When Shaq is a full 10% above you for his career, you need help ASAP.

 

[MLU]

It's about to go down...

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

 

[St. Widge]

I think you meant Dell Demps

I did. Thanks. Always get those names backward for some reason.

 

[XLR8]

 

[rsmith2783]

Is it possible to dismantle the laker's trade and accept another offer? I know nothing isn't official just yet.

 

[BobE]

Is it possible to dismantle the laker's trade and accept another offer? I know nothing isn't official just yet.

While yes it is possible, good luck getting another team to deal with us again.

 

[rsmith2783]

While yes it is possible, good luck getting another team to deal with us again.

True
There's that 1% hope of us getting a Boston trade