Tom Orsborn: Coming off sinking a career-best 6 shots from 3-point range vs. LAL, Keldon credited Chip Engelland for helping him w/ his mechanics and “making it one motion.” He also said he benefited from just letting ’em fly. “I just kept shooting,” he said. “I didn’t think about it.”
Tag: Chip Engelland
Why San Antonio may be the perfect landing spot for LaMelo Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft
With a long history of developing prospects and fixing jump shots, San Antonio could be the perfect place for LaMelo Ball in the NBA.
With the date for the 2020 NBA Draft set, we begin our look at each team in the lottery relative to LaMelo Ball. What’s the outlook of the team, how does Ball fit into their roster and plans and what’s the likelihood of him landing with the franchise? We continue our profiles with the San Antonio Spurs.
Boston Celtics profile
New Orleans profile
Sacramento Kings profile
The Team
In a vacuum, there are few franchises that would be a better landing spot for LaMelo Ball than the San Antonio Spurs. A franchise built on consistency, the Spurs have long established themselves near the top of the NBA on a year-to-year basis.
Their consistency stems from the long and fruitful partnership of head coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford. The two of them have been responsible for developing a number of prospects ranging from Manu Ginobili to Kawhi Leonard to Derrick White and Dejounte Murray in recent years.
While those last two names are an example of players developed with the Spurs, they also represent the two biggest reasons the Spurs likely won’t draft Ball in the 2020 NBA Draft. White and Murray are two young contributors at the guard positions that are direct roadblocks to future minutes for Ball.
Add in players like Patty Mills, Brynn Fobes and Lonnie Walker IV and the options are limited for Ball. But that being said, if the Spurs were to move up in the draft to acquire Ball, it would likely include at least one of those young guards to unclog minutes.
The Fit
Looking at Ball’s fit in San Antonio is two-fold. In a general sense, the Spurs long history of developing players would make it an attractive landing spot for Ball. A team that focuses on playing under control in a system would help solve some of Ball’s areas of weakness.
Possibly most intriguing, though, is the history the Spurs have in fixing jumpers, notably in Leonard’s. Ball’s jumper will need work, whether significant or subtle. Chip Engelland is credited with helping Leonard go from a 25.0% three-point shooter in college to as high as a 44.3% three-point shooter in San Antonio.
Ball’s work ethic has never come in question, so allowing him the opportunity to work with Engelland could pay off in a big way.
The other part of looking at the fit, though, is the previously mentioned gluttony of guards. On one hand, it would take the pressure off Ball and potentially he could work in the background with Engelland on his jumper, similar to Leonard early in his time in San Antonio.
On the other hand, though, drafting Ball with a high draft pick and then pushing him into the background would be a difficult challenge, even in San Antonio. But in an ideal situation, Ball being afforded time to work on his game with Engelland in San Antonio would be one of the best options possible.
But the ideal situation for Ball is not the ideal situation for San Antonio, who are likely not looking to develop a young player but, instead, find a more immediate contributor to help them get back to the playoffs in 2021.
The Likelihood
As much of a benefit as it would be to his career for Ball to land in San Antonio, it’s really a one-way street in this matter. Popovich is on the tail end of his career and it’s hard to see him looking to mold Ball into a point guard, one which they would have to trade up for, versus drafting a player that can make an impact from day one.
Chances of Ball going to San Antonio: 1%
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