LaMelo Ball has been a household name in basketball for a while now.
Other than being the brother of the extremely hyped, Lonzo Ball, LaMelo Ball has made a name for himself with many outstanding performances. Of course, no one can forget his 92 point game during the regular season, or his 38 points in a duel against 5-star PG, Jaylen Hands, or even his impressive 36-point performance against Oak Hill during the Nike Extravaganza.
It’s safe to say that Melo can ball. However, according to a lot, he isn’t as advertised.
Sure, his defense could use work and so could his feel for the game but NEWSFLASH: he is only a high schooler! An incoming junior to be exact. One can’t expect a player to be flawless in their high school playing years. An NBA draft prospect has his own flaws as well, what more with a high schooler?
The LaMelo Ball criticisms sound like a broken record.
“He doesn’t play defense, he doesn’t pass!” Or, ‘not enough competition’ faced. Whatever it may be, Melo, unfortunately, hardly ever gets a pass, especially after all the attention placed on him and his fellow brothers.
His upcoming game against high school phenom, Zion Williamson, however, may help erase any doubts about the youngest Ball brother.
The highly anticipated match between the Big Ballers (LaMelo’s team) and SC Supreme (Zion’s team) will occur later in the Adidas Uprising Event in Vegas on Wednesday night.
This game will be important for LaMelo and his status as one of the best players in his recruiting class.
A solid outing against a solid AAU team with Zion Williamson and Devon Dotson would give Melo Ball that respect he deserves from the fans.
If you have closely followed Melo Ball’s progress during the Summer, you would notice the major improvement in the future UCLA guard’s game.
Chances are that you saw his first game against the elite AAU team, Compton Magic, where he had a less than stellar performance. Airballs, turnovers, and bad shots were common themes during that game, and Twitter let him know about it.
Video via: BallerVisions
Since then, however, one could notice the strides he made throughout the summer tournaments. His feel for the game has gotten much better and has run his team pretty well. This was evident in his rematch game against Compton Magic, where he led his team to a competitive 2OT game.
A solid outing in a hyped matchup like this against Zion’s team would be the cherry on the top. Maybe, finally, LaMelo Ball starts gaining the respect he deserves at such a young age.
A strong showing (and a win) for the youngest Ball brother could be the start of Melo Ball’s official stardom.
Sure, he’s already big time based on his past performances, but a good showing against good competition could be the start of another level of excellence for the dynamic guard. Could you imagine the buzz if he comes through with a solid performance against a Zion-led team? Everyone would probably begin the chatter.
LaMelo Ball still has ways to go if he’s gonna surpass Lonzo, but he is definitely in the right direction.
This is his team and the pressure is on him, and just enough pressure can create diamonds.
*Featured photo credits go to AP Images*
