Best Ball Brother
Lavar was right. The league better start adjusting to the best Ball brother.
LaMelo’s game is as unique as his path to the NBA. The 6’6’’ guard who made professional pit stops in Lithuania and Australia has an unconventional effectiveness that calls into question what I believe about basketball.
For example, it’s accepted convention that over the course of a game it’s more valuable for guards to give up on offensive rebounds and get back in transition defense. But LaMelo goes for every single rebound. Here he whiffs on the board and the steal attempt.
But when he comes up empty, he sprints back to take away the opponent’s numbers advantage. Despite the miss in the previous clip, LaMelo grabs enough boards to outweigh the risk. These plays earn his team extended possessions and force the opponent to send more troops to man the glass, slowing down their fast break offense. Plus, the coaching staff must give him the green light because on the next play he was back battling in the paint.
How LaMelo is used on defense is unorthodox. In the NBA, help defense comes from the weak side, furthest away from the ball. The idea being is it takes a long pass, lofted over multiple defenders, to reach the open man, giving the defense time to recover. But LaMelo violates these rules to help when it's not his responsibility. Here he nearly nabs the steal, but it's an unnecessary gamble when his teammates are in position to guard the play.
But this unorthodox defense is part of the team’s game plan. Instead of weakside defenders meeting the ball handlers in the paint, Hornets’ guards peel off their marks to prevent dribble penetration. This play is dangerous because if LaMelo doesn’t come up with the ball, there’s a simple pass for a Pelicans’ wide open 3. NBA teams rarely help so aggressively off the strong side corner, but LaMelo’s length forces the jump ball.
He got that vision
LaMelo is a ball mover. Per-minute, he makes the 9th most passes in the league. Where
his brother Lonzo’s scoring passivity neuters his ability to create passing openings — LaMelo is aggressive. His vision shines when he’s on the move against scrambling defenses. The variety of passes he serves with either hand make him unpredictable. But his preferred method of delivery is the jump pass. He throws them so often it’s as if he forgot he had a growth spurt.
LaMelo gets into the air with a plan — he knows where the checkdown receivers are. He employs jump passes to fire bullets over the defense. Here this hard-hitting over-the-head pass reaches the roller before the help defense can arrive.
His defensive rebounding powers the transition attack. Even after makes, he hustles to take the ball out and put pressure on relaxed defenses. In the open court, he’s more Jason Kidd than LeBron James — he drops passes to trailers and sprays the ball to shooters. On this play, he forgoes dribbling entirely and unloads this bomb.
The Hornets use him as a screener — most often for Gordon Hayward — to leverage his playmaking. LaMelo’s screens are all bones and elbows but they’re effective. These plays cause breakdown because opposing point guards don’t want to switch onto Hayward — he will abuse them how he abuses hair gel. In the opening created from this action, LaMelo attacks deliberately to keep the advantage.
Defenders tend to duck under screens to prevent his drive. LaMelo takes what the defense gives him and shoots with no hesitation. He’s only shooting 32% from 3 this season, yet he’s weaponized his jump shot with a convincing pump fake. Watch how he gets his defender in the air before Euro-stepping to find space for a floater. Again, this is the biggest difference between the brothers Ball. LaMelo gets shots up, while Lonzo doesn't. Their ability to make the shots is irrelevant. Defenses have to guard LaMelo tighter because he’s a threat to shoot.
When he attacks closeouts, he changes pace, speeding past defenders and then downshifting to pick out passes to shooters. He struggles to finish at the rim, but he’s learning. Through the extensive trial and error that comes with being a lead ball handler, he’ll develop the craftiness needed to score against bigs. Here, he gets into the lane off an isolation. He absorbs the contact and has the body control and presence of mind to Euro-step and drop a dime to his teammate.
LaFuture
LaMelo is the new-age Manu Ginobli. At first Gregg Popovich thought Manu’s game was too “mustardy” to work in the NBA. He eventually grew to embrace Manu’s creative and risky tendencies. A decisive moment in both their careers was when Coach Pop realized that forcing Manu to play more conventionally would lessen his impact.
The Hornets coaching staff provides a structure that enables LaMelo's gifts. He’s emboldened to crash the offensive glass. As a screener and an initiator, he gets opportunities to showcase his playmaking abilities. They mix up their defensive coverages to give LaMelo chances to succeed. They play a lot of zone and even break out a full-court press. LaMelo struggles to keep driving guards out of the lane, but his length and activity at the top of the zone are assets. He deflects passes and is learning to contest shots under control and without fouling.
LaMelo has question marks surrounding his shooting, scoring, and on ball defense. The answers to these questions won’t be answered for years. But his visionary passing, rebounding, creativity, positional size, and willingness to get physical make him impactful right now. He’s not an explosive athlete, but his length and awareness will make him valuable as a help defender.
His most glaring flaw right now is his engagement. Every player gets caught ball watching, but LaMelo wipes his shoes and futzes with his uniform during gameplay. This isn’t high school, Lithuania, or the JBA anymore. These ticks are annoying because they’re easily fixable.
For this season, the coaching staff will have to find the balance between giving him the freedom to make mistakes while the team competes for a playoff spot. But in the future, how will his team’s offensive and defensive identity shift to match his skills? He's already changing how I think about basketball, but how will his unique play influence the league?