2023-10-31 12:18:07
According to statistics from Cleaning The Glass, Ball’s shooting percentages (within four feet) in his first three seasons were 53%, 54% and 54% respectively. That number hovers around the 25th percentile in the league among all point guards, but it’s not the efficiency we’d expect. Yet a player of his stature and savvy deserves to reach the next level…
The 22-year-old LaMelo Ball is about to enter his third NBA season. His scoring average has increased every year. In addition to having perimeter abilities that are better than most players, he even keeps passing out assists that exceed our imagination, and has already had The experience of being selected for the All-Star Game.
So, why do most people in the NBA think that he is still only a borderline star player, and has not yet become the super ace that fans expect?
In a nutshell, all the problems stem from Ball’s efficiency. He’s never been able to consistently create efficient scoring chances like Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry or even Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but has always been middling (54.7 career true shooting percentage isn’t terrible, but it could definitely be better).
Ball has actually been a good 3-point shooter his entire career (37.7% on 7.5 attempts) and has taken nearly 50% of his attempts from beyond the arc over the past two seasons. outside. However, his shooting percentage dropped as he got closer to the basket.
Ball’s shooting percentage from 4 to 14 feet was in the middle of the league (55th percentile as a rookie, 52nd percentile as a sophomore). He did even better on long-range shots, shooting 45-for-111 in his sophomore season, ranking in the 62nd percentile among all point guards. Although these data are not top-notch, they are still much better than his data at the basket.
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According to statistics from Cleaning The Glass, Ball’s shooting percentages (within four feet) in his first three seasons were 53%, 54% and 54% respectively. That number hovers around the 25th percentile in the league among all point guards, but it’s not the efficiency we’d expect. Yet a player of his stature and savvy deserves to play at a higher level.
Although he is not an excellent finisher at the basket, this does not prevent him from developing a skill package that can score in the penalty area. Just look at Trae Young. He was a mediocre finisher at the rim for most of his career, but he made up for it with his incredible floater.
The problem with Ball is that he has shown some proficiency in shooting from mid-range, but he prefers to attack the paint instead of taking early shots from mid-range:
According to Cleaning The Glass, in his first two seasons, Ball ranked 61st and 56th percentile among point guards in all mid-range shooting percentages. (His midrange numbers dropped significantly last year, but that was largely due to three ankle sprains that limited him to 36 games).
Although mid-range shooting statistics show that mid-range scoring is more stable than his finishing at the basket, Ball’s mid-range shots in the first three years ranked only 20%, 36% and 20% respectively among point guards. Essentially, he is better at mid-range, but he is rarely used as a scoring method.
He should be taking advantage of mid-range shots more often. At 6-foot-7, Ball has the size, ball-handling and creativity that few other players possess, perfect for making floaters, running plays and stylish fadeaway mid-range jumpers.
Therefore, the key for Ball to take another leap as a scorer will likely depend on him keeping his attempts at the rim at last season’s level (48th percentile, about 4 attempts per game) while increasing his mid-range attempts. frequency. While the actual shooting percentage remains unchanged, his efficiency may be improved.
Ball shouldn’t completely erase his shots at the rim, and should even continue to work on improving the skills he’s been trying to improve. Ball’s continued breakthroughs will still produce positive results a lot of the time. According to NBA.com, Ball ranked 10th in the NBA in breakout assists last season. (Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Tyrese Haliburton, Darius Garland and Trae Young are some of the players ahead of him).
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