Aminu's shooting form always reminds me of one of these ball throwing sticks for dogs: But even it looks better than that FT by Wilkes. BNM
The orange Ultra Ball is the only ball I can get my dog. He will tear the regular ones to shreds, but those last forever, indestructible.
I hate to partake in a Ball debate, but two things: 1) His broken shot was fairly effective in college. Can't make too much of rookie shooting struggles. 2) Shawn Marion's shot was every bit as broken, and it didn't hold him back.
Marion had a super quick release though. Ugly for sure but the problem with Ball's form is it takes to long to bring the ball up from the side and across his body. It's even worse when he rushes it.
Bill Cartwright's shot required a sun dial to time it. Sabonis and Meyers weren't speed demons, but I don't recall ever seeing one of their 3's get blocked. If you've got the length, a slow setup isn't the worst thing in the world.
Those were all big men. It's different for a guard or wing who would have a quicker defender on them.
I also think Lonzo is a good player and will do well in the league without being a superstar but I don't like those comparisons to past stars to show that a rookie is not doing badly, just because another player who went on to become amazing had doubtful stats during his rookie season (Kidd's FG% and 3pt shooting).
Length is what generally affects a shot, not speed. Ball has enough length to counter most defenders. I used those examples because they had height advantages and slow mechanics.
Length only helps if you have a high release point. Ball does not. He also does not have an exceptionally quick release. He was able to get away with that shit against college kids. Not in the NBA. His current shooting "form" limits both the speed and height of his release. Unless he drastically changes his shooting form, he will always struggle to get off his shot against NBA defenders. Of course if he continues to shoot as poorly as he has, that won't be a problem. Defenders will back off him and dare him to shoot. He really needs to spend his entire off season, starting in mid-April, working with a shooting coach to completely change his shooting form. Anything else would be shear stupidity. If he thinks he can get by with his current shooting style against NBA defenses, he's in for a very mediocre career. BNM
Fair point. I haven't watched any of his games this year (thank god), so I don't know if his shot has been challenged regularly or is just errant. But as a good passer, you have to figure defenders will give him space.
He does not shoot contested 3-pointers. He also shoots even more poorly off the dribble. His shot mechanics are completely screwed up. His shooting form is totally out of alignment. As a right handed shooter, he actually starts his release from the left side of his head, with his own shooting arm obstructing his view of the basket. Because his alignment is screwed up, he misses a lot of shots left and right, not just short and long like most shooters with proper alignment. This is also why he is such an incredibly bad FT shooter. It also prevents him from getting his legs under his shot. Because of this, doesn't take full advantage of using his legs to generate upward thrust and loses strength on his shot. This results in flicking/flinging his hot using his wrist and arms. Executive summary: his shot mechanics are completely broken - not one thing right about them. BNM
Well, you may get to see for yourself come summer league: LiAngelo Ball declares for NBA draft LaVar Ball said Lonzo Ball would leave the Lakers if they didn’t sign LiAngelo Ball. Well, the Lakers will get their chance at LiAngelo, who’s playing in Lithuania following his shoplifting suspension and departure from UCLA. Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports: LiAngelo Ball has declared for the 2018 NBA draft, his agent, Harrison Gaines, told Yahoo Sports. The Lakers have Cleveland’s first-round pick and Denver’s second-rounder, and all eyes will be on LiAngelo when those selections come up. More likely, LiAngelo – a low-end prospect – goes undrafted. Even then, speculation will turn to Los Angeles signing him, even if just for summer league. Because of his attention-getting father, LiAngelo will get more attention than a player of his caliber typically warrants. As for LaVar’s threat if the Lakers don’t sign LiAngelo, Lonzo was noncommittal. BNM
Not just from playing young, but from being allowed to shoot from too far away from the basket, at a rim too high, with a ball too big.
So yeah, you basically supported my original point. It's nothing to do with the defense. Ball just hasn't made shots this year. He showed last year that he could be a pretty effective shooter despite horrible technique.
Yes, it does have something to do with defense. He gets fewer easy shots against NBA caliber defenders. He had less trouble getting his broken shot off against slower, smaller college kids. In the NBA, the average defender he faces will be bigger, quicker and flat out better than the average defender he faced in college. He will struggle to get his shot off consistently against NBA defenders unless he drastically overhauls his shooting form. BNM
Edit- I guess I should have scrolled down further Probably the early years of Jason Kidd. https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/k/kiddja01.html He won Co-ROY while shooting 38.% from the field and 27% from three. He pretty consistently shot under 40% from the field over his career. Just a horrible shooter.
