This is a wash for me tbh close. Both of them have extremely suspect jumpers, but RJ's seems to be due to a lack of good footwork (while Lamelo's is just everything). RJ has the athleticism, handles, and in my opinion better finishing as evidenced by his higher scoring efficiency. Ball just seems like a terrible scorer given his absolutely trash efficiency. They are both bad at defense. RJ gives more effort but Ball has more tools to play with and therefore a higher likelihood of becoming a good defender. Ball is also a better passer.
Ball despite the likely problems with his dad inevitably complaining tto anybody that will listen that LaMelo is better than Curry and Thompson and should be a starter.
Ball. I think Lonzo proved that the Ball family is not just smoke. Lamelo definitely has the swagger and if his shot selection and efficiency goes up with better coaching, he'll be an all star one day.
though I wonder what good size is for a player who doesn’t go up strong, or play D, or really have the form to consistently shoot over smaller people. He can see the court from a few inches higher for playmaking?
I like Ball because in a league that is moving away from pure point guards, he bucks the trend. Sometimes bucking the trend is the right move. Some of those passes reminded me of a young Nash. Sure, we don't need him now, but he's a great foundation for the next dynasty. Seems composed, good locker room presence, good head on his shoulders. Seems to have blocked out the noise about papa Ball, which is no small feat...and a sign of maturity. Strong leadership potential.
Interesting that one 'expert' says Ball has excellent court vision - which to me implies that he has playmaking skills, while another one says that he isn't a playmaker. So I don't think you can read too much into any scouting report. I've always thought there was a lot of bias in them, for whatever reason. Which is why so many top picks are busts because they're going for potential which either doesn't develop or they end up in a bad situation. Then guys like Draymond and Paschall fall to the 2nd round because teams don't understand how their game fits in the NBA or because they spent more than a year in college. Automatic bias by the 'experts' if you stay in college for more than a year. Also, I don't think Papa Ball has been as much a distraction as he was Lonzo's first year. Less in L.A. his second season and I don't recall any issues after he was traded to NOLA. Papa apparently can't teach the boys how to shoot right though, regardless of his claims of their greatness. ;) I'd still go with LaMelo over Hampton - but I hope the Dubs don't end up with him.
Sure, Ball's dad is an annoyance, but LaMelo does a lot of things well that contribute to winning. The Dubs could use his passing to help push the pace in transition, especially when Steph isn't on the court to do the same. We've seen how the team eviscerates and exhausts defenses when they can run, and LaMelo would be clearly add to that threat. I worry about his defensive attentiveness, though: you don't get nearly as many transition opportunities when you don't defend well.
Hampton, though, doesn't have as much in his favor at the moment. Drafts are always hard to call, but nothing about his skills sounds like something we really need.
I vote Hampton, but both of them are years away from being dependable players on a contender. Hard pass on both, especially Ball; I want nothing to do with the Ball family.
This is a wash for me tbh close. Both of them have extremely suspect jumpers, but RJ's seems to be due to a lack of good footwork (while Lamelo's is just everything). RJ has the athleticism, handles, and in my opinion better finishing as evidenced by his higher scoring efficiency. Ball just seems like a terrible scorer given his absolutely trash efficiency. They are both bad at defense. RJ gives more effort but Ball has more tools to play with and therefore a higher likelihood of becoming a good defender. Ball is also a better passer.
Ball despite the likely problems with his dad inevitably complaining tto anybody that will listen that LaMelo is better than Curry and Thompson and should be a starter.
Ball. I think Lonzo proved that the Ball family is not just smoke. Lamelo definitely has the swagger and if his shot selection and efficiency goes up with better coaching, he'll be an all star one day.
Ball.
though I wonder what good size is for a player who doesn’t go up strong, or play D, or really have the form to consistently shoot over smaller people. He can see the court from a few inches higher for playmaking?
Ball on size alone.
I like Ball because in a league that is moving away from pure point guards, he bucks the trend. Sometimes bucking the trend is the right move. Some of those passes reminded me of a young Nash. Sure, we don't need him now, but he's a great foundation for the next dynasty. Seems composed, good locker room presence, good head on his shoulders. Seems to have blocked out the noise about papa Ball, which is no small feat...and a sign of maturity. Strong leadership potential.
Interesting that one 'expert' says Ball has excellent court vision - which to me implies that he has playmaking skills, while another one says that he isn't a playmaker. So I don't think you can read too much into any scouting report. I've always thought there was a lot of bias in them, for whatever reason. Which is why so many top picks are busts because they're going for potential which either doesn't develop or they end up in a bad situation. Then guys like Draymond and Paschall fall to the 2nd round because teams don't understand how their game fits in the NBA or because they spent more than a year in college. Automatic bias by the 'experts' if you stay in college for more than a year. Also, I don't think Papa Ball has been as much a distraction as he was Lonzo's first year. Less in L.A. his second season and I don't recall any issues after he was traded to NOLA. Papa apparently can't teach the boys how to shoot right though, regardless of his claims of their greatness. ;) I'd still go with LaMelo over Hampton - but I hope the Dubs don't end up with him.
Sure, Ball's dad is an annoyance, but LaMelo does a lot of things well that contribute to winning. The Dubs could use his passing to help push the pace in transition, especially when Steph isn't on the court to do the same. We've seen how the team eviscerates and exhausts defenses when they can run, and LaMelo would be clearly add to that threat. I worry about his defensive attentiveness, though: you don't get nearly as many transition opportunities when you don't defend well.
Hampton, though, doesn't have as much in his favor at the moment. Drafts are always hard to call, but nothing about his skills sounds like something we really need.
I think Ball will end up being a very good player. Most likely better than Hampton. So that's the vote.
I don't think either are very good fits for the Warriors though.
I vote Hampton, but both of them are years away from being dependable players on a contender. Hard pass on both, especially Ball; I want nothing to do with the Ball family.
Ball? Not at all. Vote is Hampton.