NBA Draft Profiles: Top 5 Point Guards For Philadelphia 76ers
By Owen Nelson
2. Lonzo Ball
Measurements
Height: 6-6
Weight: 190lb
Wingspan: 6-7
Stats
Points: 14.4
Assists: 8.2
Rebounds: 5.5
Steals: 1.8
Blocks: 0.9
FG percentage: 53.2
3FG percentage: 43.1
While many consider Lonzo Ball‘s shooting mechanics as very questionable, it’s definitely working for him. Scouts thought his shot wouldn’t translate from high school to college, but he has proved them wrong. Would you expect anything else from a member of the Ball family? Some NBA teams will definitely want to change his shot, but since its clearly working for him teams may shy away from altering it. It was for this reason as to why draft experts and analysts mocked Ball in the late teens/early 20s in their mock draft before the season began. Ball has continued to prove them wrong and now he is in the conversation for the number one pick.
Above all else, Lonzo’s passing and play-making abilities are gifts. There aren’t many players who are better facilitators than the oldest Ball brother. The former Chino Hills HS guard has drastically improved UCLA’s offence; Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Aaron Holiday and T.J. Leaf has benefitted tremendously with Ball leading the way.
SCORE
UCLA are scoring 125 points per 100 possessions, compared to 111 points per 100 possessions last season without Ball. And they have gone from a mediocre college team to one of the best in the nation.
One concerning factor with the 6-6 guard is that he has shown next to no mid range game. Teams won’t no whether or not his unorthodox, low release will be efficient in the NBA. The fact that Ball hasn’t shown any mid range game yet is worrying, if he can’t do it in college then he definitely won’t be able to do it in the NBA. Similarly to Fultz, Ball struggles at the free throw line, he shoots 68 percent but as I said for Fultz, that number will increase over time.