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Pelicans 2020 seeding games profile: Lonzo Ball

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It started out partly as something that kept his two younger brothers happy, providing them with a steady diet of fast-break layups and other transition buckets. Now it’s a driving force helping to propel one of the NBA’s fastest and most effective offenses.

Growing up in Southern California as part of a basketball-loving family, Lonzo Ball often found himself on the same team as siblings, LiAngelo and LaMelo, who quickly recognized that Lonzo’s knack for assists could benefit them greatly. Whenever Lonzo pulled down a defensive rebound, it was off to the races.

“My little brothers would always be leaking out (on fast breaks), so I could get them the ball,” said Lonzo, who rewarded them with a dime. “That’s just how I’ve been playing my whole life.”

Years later, the eldest of the Ball brothers has brought the unique skill to a New Orleans offensive attack that seems perfectly suited for it. With open-court finishers Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram often getting all the way to the rim – along with arguably the deepest three-point shooting team in the NBA – Ball has no shortage of options. As a result, the 22-year-old ranks 11th in the NBA in assists per game (7.0 apg), while pushing the Pelicans to the league’s second-fastest pace.

“On this team, we’ve got a lot of different guys who can penetrate, get in the lane, and start the offense,” Ball said of his surrounding talent. “To get it to them, kick (the ball) up ahead before the defense is set, usually puts us at an advantage.”

Like LiAngelo, now 21, and LaMelo, 18, Pelicans teammates understand that when Ball has possession he constantly scans the floor, keeping his head up while looking for scoring opportunities. That sometimes means tossing a 50-foot pass to Williamson, creating an instant highlight. Ball also nonchalantly threw a lob to Williamson for a dunk vs. Boston off a sideline inbound pass.

Alvin Gentry noted recently that Ball’s approach to distributing the rock isn’t something that can be taught or coached.

“Number one, he naturally does it,” Gentry said of the UCLA product. “He’s pretty much done it that way his whole basketball career. It creates a situation where your big guys are going to run a lot more, if they think have an opportunity to get the ball. (Pelicans coaches) like the pitch-ahead and emphasize pitching ahead and trying to create numbers, but in his case, it’s something that comes naturally to his game.”

What doesn’t always come naturally for New Orleans opponents: Immediately realizing the need to sprint back in transition, even if they’ve just converted a score vs. the Pelicans. Defenses are sometimes surprised when Ball nearly instantaneously lofts a deep alley oop to Williamson after a made basket. It’s not only two points on the scoreboard for New Orleans, but it also can be mentally draining for the opposition.

“It’s such an advantage for us to have that,” Pelicans reserve wing Josh Hart said. “I mean, if a team scores and two seconds later we get a lob to Zion for a dunk, for the other team that’s deflating, and for us it helps with momentum.

“(Ball) makes us play at an unbelievable pace, being able to make pinpoint pass from three-quarters court, whether that’s for a three for JJ (Redick) or (E’Twaun Moore) or somebody in the corner, or a lob to Zion.”

From Day 1 of his NBA career, the 6-foot-6, 190-pound Ball has been appreciated for his passing, but in his first New Orleans season he’s also developed into a much better three-point shooter (38 percent). He was red-hot when the NBA came to a halt in mid-March (21 of his last 36), forcing opponents to rethink the way they defend him in halfcourt situations. As three-year NBA teammate Ingram noted, that’s only going to benefit Ball’s already established ability to create open shots for others.

“Well, it’s a different scouting report: guys running him off the (three-point) line, guys getting closer to him on the line,” Ingram said of defenses, who previously dared Ball to fire away from the arc. “I think he’s good enough to make a step to the rim, good enough to make the right pass. So everything is coming in order.”

Seeding games to watch

When you’re a starting point guard in the Western Conference, there are very few easy nights or matchups on the schedule. That will also be in the case in Orlando for Ball, who has an immediate duel with Utah’s Mike Conley. The New Orleans schedule is also filled with fellow talented early-20s point guards, including Ja Morant of Memphis, Dejounte Murray of San Antonio and De’Aaron Fox of Sacramento. There are two Pelicans-Kings meetings, scheduled for Aug. 6 and Aug. 11, broadcast nationally by NBA TV and TNT, respectively. Ball and Fox were the No. 2 and No. 5 picks in the ’17 draft.

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