In early July, Pelicans.com solicited tweets from New Orleans fans related to new roster additions, addressing several questions and comments among the submissions. Still, there were many, many other responses we didn’t have time to fit into what was already a lengthy 35-minute podcast.
We addressed a comment related to Lonzo Ball’s all-around contributions (from @zionfuturegoat) on the podcast, but the following were among the other relevant ones tweeted about the two-year NBA guard. Fans were responding to the tweet “Given the way several distributing point guards have performed in Alvin Gentry’s attack in recent years, what are your expectations for Lonzo Ball in 2019-20, his first season with Pelicans?”
From @BritainDalton: You all are going to LOVE Lonzo! One of the most unique basketball players I’ve ever seen. Don’t focus so much on the stats (although sometimes he will get triple-doubles). Just watch him play, and enjoy!
Previous and current teammates Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart seemed to reference this during a July 16 press conference, with both discussing how Ball’s impact doesn’t always show up in the numbers. Asked what may be underrated about Ball, Ingram noted, “From my point of view, just where he is on the defensive end, I think the anticipation, the passes, just being in the right place at the right time, and that doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet. He’s just there for deflections, always helping a teammate out. He’s just always there.”
Hart added, “We played Orlando in Orlando and (Ball) literally guarded every single player on one possession. He closed out, someone drove, kicked it, he closed out to that person, defended that person, another breakdown happened and he guarded that person. You don’t see that on the box score. You see the points, the assists, rebounds, et cetera, but you don’t see how hard he plays on the defensive end and just how hard he plays in general. That’s something that you have to watch and really appreciate the game to appreciate that.”
From @KlintjWhite: Firstly, fun. Secondly, I think he is different to some of his predecessors in that he doesn’t pound the ball as long (comparing to Rondo/Frazier), and passes faster, which may be even greater than others. However, he won’t get to pass to AD which was a large factor. Third, the defense will be barely recognizable. Most of Jrue’s partners have not been above average, and now we have two (conservatively) top-10 guard defenders sharing the backcourt. I will be curious who they assign to the lead dribbler and who would be chasing a shooter
It will be interesting to see what impact the all-UCLA pairing with Jrue Holiday will have at both ends of the court. Ball, who said, “I can’t wait to play with (Holiday),” is looking forward to joining a new roster, one filled with youth and upside. He also sounds like he’s ready to have some fun.
“It means a lot. It’s a fresh start, it’s a restart,” Ball said of coming to the Pelicans. “I’ve been good at the game of basketball my whole life, so I’m hoping I can get back to that. Just do what I can for the organization. I know the media is not (as overwhelmingly large as) it was in L.A., but I know the fans are great and going to come out and support, and we’re going to put on a show for them.”
From @JayVeaux: Real good perimeter defender, hard to stop on offense when he attacks the rim. I think more experience and a better jump shot could get him into the All-Star conversation. If Gentry’s system nurtures his playmaking and passing, he could live up to his draft status
New Orleans led the NBA in pace two seasons ago and was second in 2018-19, though it should be noted that the Lakers weren’t exactly playing at a snail’s pace, placing fourth and third in tempo during Ball’s two seasons under Luke Walton.
“I’m getting back to playing pretty much the style I’ve been playing my whole life,” Ball said. “So I’m very comfortable in the high, up-temple offense Coach Gentry has. I’m going to run it to the best of my abilities.”
From @real_WayneBrady: I’m expecting the pace to be his best friend. Slightly higher shooting percentage. More possessions per game and more movement will lead to more baskets at the hoop. So more assists. He is a very good fit minus the shooting. They will have spacing issues when not running
It’s interesting to think about the potential of the Pelicans being able to get generate higher-percentage shot attempts for Ball, who has only shot 38.0 percent from the field in his two-year NBA career, but made a marginal improvement to 40.6 in Year 2, compared to 36.0 as a rookie. Based on his shot profile via Basketball-Reference.com, some of that efficiency increase came from taking a bigger portion of attempts from 0-3 feet (30.9 percent of his FGAs), as well as from 3-10 feet (9.6 percent, mostly coming on floaters and extended layups). He reduced his reliance on jumpers in every category, taking exactly half of his total 456 shots from three-point range (228) in ’18-19.
From @SavageRickWest: A few triple doubles
From @AlmightyTaka: 15, 6 and 9 assists
Ball has three NBA triple-doubles, as well as four other games in which he notched both double-digit rebounds and assists, but single-digit points. The potential for him to add to his triple-double tally should be there in New Orleans, which has seen that feat accomplished by various point guards in recent years, including a five-game streak by Elfrid Payton last season, two from Rajon Rondo in ’17-18 and one by Tim Frazier in ’16.
“Lonzo is somebody that most everybody knows, I think in terms of the strengths of his game from a passing perspective,” David Griffin said of Ball’s distributing. “The elite floor vision that he has.”
