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As Lonzo Ball’s career has continued in New Orleans the last two seasons, he has steadily and rapidly shown improvements. Once an inconsistent offensive threat at best, Ball has become part of the Pelicans’ three-headed attack offensively alongside All-Stars Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Now, with his career taking a new trajectory, Ball’s newest goal is to join his teammates as an All-Star.
In an interview with for Stadium, The Athletic’s Shams Charania spoke with Ball about his career and goals for him moving forward.
“Individually, I think just being an All-Star is definitely my next goal on my list. I think that should be coming up pretty soon.”
This season, Ball is averaging a career-high 14.4 points on 37.8% 3-pointer shooting and 42.1% field goal shooting, both career-highs as well. He’s also adding 5.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game.
There are a couple of hurdles Ball would have to clear in order to make it into contention for an All-Star spot. First and foremost, he would almost certainly have to see his points-per-game average jump up to or over 20 points. Even then, though, much of Ball’s positive impact on a game come in ways that aren’t measured in box scores, which would further hinder his case.
However, since arriving in New Orleans, Ball’s career has exploded, something else he also talked about with Charania.
“On and off the court, I think coming to New Orleans has helped me just kind of be my own person. I don’t have anyone looking over me. I’m just doing my thing now. I think that’s worked out for me. Moving forward, I think it’s going to help.”
Ball’s future next season may not be in New Orleans as he’s set to hit unrestricted free agency. However, it’s clear that his stop in the city reignited his career and, given the vast improvements he’s made in the last two seasons, an All-Star game bid certainly doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility moving forward.
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