When the Los Angeles Lakers traded Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball to the New Orleans Pelicans in the blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis, it was viewed as an opportunity for the pair of former No. 2 picks to start fresh.
While Ingram is starting to resemble the player scouts thought he’d be at the NBA level, Ball is still struggling to live up to his draft hype, averaging just 10.1 points on 37.4% shooting from the field, 5 rebounds. 5.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Those averages aren’t too far off from his career numbers, but that’s exactly what has been so disappointing about his junior season — he’s yet to make the leap.
Jalen Rose even went as far as to say that Ball has “plateaued” in his junior season (via “Jalen and Jacoby”):
“[Ingram] got drafted as a lottery pick and they was like, ‘Here go the keys,’ but then they brought in Lonzo. ‘Yo, this is the future. You’re number going to be in the rafters, Zo!’ Now — they get traded — one guy has been able to flourish in Ingram and it seems like Lonzo has plateaued.”
Unfortunately for Ball, it’s hard to argue against the Michigan basketball legend’s point.
Yes, Ball is posting career-highs in 3-point percentage and free-throw percentage, but even those percentages — 33.3% and 50%, respectively — leave a lot to be desired. It’s also worth noting that those are the only major categories he’s having a career year from.
Ball has shown flashes, but it doesn’t seem like he’s on the cusp of anything special. Hopefully good health and the return of Zion Williamson will help Ball start to trend in the right direction.
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