THT vs Lamelo
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Mike@LG
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:20 am    Post subject:

^Playing in Australia vs UCLA will do that.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:54 am    Post subject:

jonnybravo wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
I managed to watch a few minutes of the Hornets-Pelicans game. This was the first time I've been able to watch Lamelo outside of highlights. He was one of the better players on the court, even though he is still raw. His game needs polishing, but he has "future all-NBA" written all over him. I was skeptical about him, especially after the experience with Lonzo. I'm a believer now.


I've been watching him as well and I agree. He was 1 assist from a triple double tonight in 26 minutes.

I respect both of your opinions generally. I watched only the highlights and I was pretty impressed (especially with the left handed no look hook assist from the top of the key). "future All-NBA" though, wow. Didn't expect that level of praise, and definitive too. The shooting was impressive yesterday. You guys sure he wasn't just having a hot night?

I haven't seen much of him (non-highlights and just a few highlights), but what I did see before yesterday's game looked like fine instinct generally, including for his teammates, and a lot of fluid game. Yesterday, I learned that he is a good finisher, which definitely does not run in the family. Very smooth. Before this game, I thought he had shooting woes, low release or something. His height really stood out to me yesterday, compared to other game highlights I've seen.

So all-NBA is really high level praise. What are his biggest all-NBA level skills as you both see them?

Edit: and Mike [AT] LG, definitely respect your opinion, if you care to chime in.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:02 pm    Post subject:

Props to him and credit to him for ballin out.

I don't think he will keep it up. Once the league adjusts to him and once we have fans in attendance, I think we will see who he truly is. Lets see how he does once he goes through some adversity and league defenses adjusting to him and game planning to him. Right now there's no pressure and not a lot of eyes on him so he's playing freely.

I see him along the ranks of Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter Williams who have had amazing rookie seasons and were pretty much out of the league by the time they were 30.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:05 pm    Post subject:

I disagree with All NBA, although, like Lonzo, he has elite NBA feel. What separates Lonzo from LaMelo is comfort with ball handling and elite touch with the dominant hand.

But All NBA? Cade is going to take that before LaMelo at the guard spot, and frankly, I think stats are generally inflated considering I think the entire league is playing at some lower energy level for conservation.

I had LaMelo #2, only because I didn't trust his footwork leading to his jumper. Fortunately it's getting better, but he's not some dynamic perimeter shooter like Luka was from the jump. He just hasn't proven that at this level yet but I'm sure he'll get there.

Otherwise I had Killian Hayes #1, kind of like I believed in BI so much when he was the #2 pick back then. Ben Simmons was the obvious talent with feel too, but never really improved. I knew Killian would take years to develop, but at least I understood his pedigree and rate of improvement while going up the ranks. Unfortunately, Killian has a bad hip injury now.

LaMelo has pretty much been the same guy since HS. Just bigger. Where's the improvement? It's not defense. He's been the same passer since he was 15/16. It's not really dynamic ball-handling out of PnR. So, I kind of think, what you see is what you get, and there's tons of wasted motion into that jumper, which is why defenders just let him have those shots.

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I see him along the ranks of Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter Williams who have had amazing rookie seasons and were pretty much out of the league by the time they were 30.


I think LaMelo separates himself by actually having that elite feel for the game, as opposed to the 3 guys that just happened to be really skilled as rookies. But once they got figured out, the rest was history, and really, Evans was the only one that improved his jumpshot and revamped his form. That took years. None of those guys improved since they've been in the league.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:44 pm    Post subject:

Mike@LG wrote:
I disagree with All NBA, although, like Lonzo, he has elite NBA feel. What separates Lonzo from LaMelo is comfort with ball handling and elite touch with the dominant hand.

But All NBA? Cade is going to take that before LaMelo at the guard spot, and frankly, I think stats are generally inflated considering I think the entire league is playing at some lower energy level for conservation.

I had LaMelo #2, only because I didn't trust his footwork leading to his jumper. Fortunately it's getting better, but he's not some dynamic perimeter shooter like Luka was from the jump. He just hasn't proven that at this level yet but I'm sure he'll get there.

Otherwise I had Killian Hayes #1, kind of like I believed in BI so much when he was the #2 pick back then. Ben Simmons was the obvious talent with feel too, but never really improved. I knew Killian would take years to develop, but at least I understood his pedigree and rate of improvement while going up the ranks. Unfortunately, Killian has a bad hip injury now.

LaMelo has pretty much been the same guy since HS. Just bigger. Where's the improvement? It's not defense. He's been the same passer since he was 15/16. It's not really dynamic ball-handling out of PnR. So, I kind of think, what you see is what you get, and there's tons of wasted motion into that jumper, which is why defenders just let him have those shots.

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I see him along the ranks of Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans and Michael Carter Williams who have had amazing rookie seasons and were pretty much out of the league by the time they were 30.


I think LaMelo separates himself by actually having that elite feel for the game, as opposed to the 3 guys that just happened to be really skilled as rookies. But once they got figured out, the rest was history, and really, Evans was the only one that improved his jumpshot and revamped his form. That took years. None of those guys improved since they've been in the league.

This would be more compelling if Hayes hasn't been (so far) arguably the worst regular rotation player in the NBA and if he and LaMelo weren't both the same age coming from professional leagues overseas.

A counterpoint to your work ethic assumptions would be that Hayes' improvement was a mirage that came mostly from having a low level team structured around him to boost his draft stock (and thereby their profile to better young players in the future) whereas LaMelo being yanked around the globe at his father's whim has hindered some of his skill development, meaning that finally playing in a structured environment could help bring out even more untapped potential. Or maybe Hayes has Ingram's relentless work ethic and LaMelo is a head case like Simmons based on seeing a handful of their games over the years.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:45 pm    Post subject:

Now Hayes vs. THT would be an interesting comparison.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:53 pm    Post subject:

Quote:

This would be more compelling if Hayes hasn't been (so far) arguably the worst regular rotation player in the NBA and if he and LaMelo weren't both the same age coming from professional leagues overseas.


And I knew how bad he'd be from the jump. Kind of like Ingram rookie year too.

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A counterpoint to your work ethic assumptions would be that Hayes' improvement was a mirage that came mostly from having a low level team structured around him to boost his draft stock (and thereby their profile to better young players in the future) whereas LaMelo being yanked around the globe at his father's whim has hindered some of his skill development, meaning that finally playing in a structured environment could help bring out even more untapped potential. Or maybe Hayes has Ingram's relentless work ethic and LaMelo is a head case like Simmons based on seeing a handful of their games over the years.


Even as a low level team, he still had to work out his defense, pull up shooting off the dribble, being able to shift defenders, and having any kind of finishing game near the hoop.

All of that jumped, and that's all skill based, regardless of roster. Personally, to me, that says a lot, especially when they're mid-season improvements.

I don't really think LaMelo developed his skills. Even Lonzo's curve isn't that great, although admittedly the shooting form took a complete revamp. I'm guessing that no one is saying anything about LaMelo's shooting form since shots are going in and he actually attacks the hoop.

I'd even argue that LaMelo playing in Australia was better than playing for a blue chip team. They gave him the ball to lead the offense, and even if that Aussie team couldn't shoot, at least he was playing a higher tier of physical play. That absolutely matters in the transition from HS, NCAA, to pro ball.

I don't think LaMelo is a headcase at all. But I just see the same kid at 15, just bigger. The basketball feel/IQ/vision/passing were all evident and the same at that age. He got bigger, he attacks more.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:02 pm    Post subject:

Baron Von Humongous wrote:
Now Hayes vs. THT would be an interesting comparison.


That'd be a very tough choice for me, because I put so much weight on skill improvements between season and even midseason.

I can tell how much more patient THT is out of PnR, a bit more craft finishing near the rim, some standard defensive fundamentals with man-defense, but it's been a year at the G-League level before getting onto the roster too.

Plus the age factor.... whew, Hayes vs THT makes me take THT, but at least I've seen THT get the opportunity to improve. But honestly, just getting more in shape and having unique physical attributes alone should swing this.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:16 pm    Post subject:

focus wrote:
So all-NBA is really high level praise. What are his biggest all-NBA level skills as you both see them?


Just to be clear, I said that he has "future all-NBA" written all over him. The key word is "future." He needs to polish a lot of different aspects of his game. He needs to grow out of his teenage body into a man's body. He needs to avoid all of the pitfalls that go with being a pro athlete, including injuries. But if he does all of that, I can imagine him making the all-NBA team as soon as two or three years from now.

He has the "it" factor that we don't see very often in a player of his age. When I was watching the game, I remembered a comment that someone made here two or three years ago: that Lonzo didn't look like he enjoyed playing basketball. Well, whether that is true or false about Lonzo, it is absolutely false about Lamelo. He basically rolls out of bed and starts attacking. You will not see very many players his age impose their will on the game as much as he does. He reminds me of a young Magic, but remember that Magic played two years of college and was a lot more developed and physically mature than Lamelo is now. It's an unfair comparison at this point. However, I have some distant memories of Magic in his freshman year at Michigan State, and that seems like a pretty fair comparison. Here's what Magic looked like back then.

To answer your specific question, Lamelo is a superior passer, is an excellent rebounder for a guard, and has the sort of aggressive mindset that you see in the greats. His shot looks better than I expected, but needs some polishing. His defense was spotty, but nowhere near as bad as billed. If this kid will put in the work and has the right mentality, look out.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:27 pm    Post subject:

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Just to be clear, I said that he has "future all-NBA" written all over him. The key word is "future."


And that's the thing. When I think of future All NBA, especially at PG, Luka is the bar. That's the kind of rookie where you know from the jump that he can make it, and had a tremendous history of success with improvement jumps at a younger age. Cade is the only one that meets or exceeds that bar by age, and we have to wait out this NCAA season just for him to declare.

I'm also aware, of just how stacked the NBA is with talented All-Star type PGs. It just makes cracking the All NBA team that much to make, even on the 3rd team.

I mean, Magic Johnson that plays defense isn't really that far from Ben Simmons, and yet, he's not even a top 10 guy. But yeah, at least LaMelo enjoys playing.

Just, it's arguable that there's at least 3 guys in this upcoming draft that would have gone above LaMelo. That's why this last year's class wasn't as touted.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 2:22 pm    Post subject:

focus wrote:
jonnybravo wrote:
Aeneas Hunter wrote:
I managed to watch a few minutes of the Hornets-Pelicans game. This was the first time I've been able to watch Lamelo outside of highlights. He was one of the better players on the court, even though he is still raw. His game needs polishing, but he has "future all-NBA" written all over him. I was skeptical about him, especially after the experience with Lonzo. I'm a believer now.


I've been watching him as well and I agree. He was 1 assist from a triple double tonight in 26 minutes.

I respect both of your opinions generally. I watched only the highlights and I was pretty impressed (especially with the left handed no look hook assist from the top of the key). "future All-NBA" though, wow. Didn't expect that level of praise, and definitive too. The shooting was impressive yesterday. You guys sure he wasn't just having a hot night?

I haven't seen much of him (non-highlights and just a few highlights), but what I did see before yesterday's game looked like fine instinct generally, including for his teammates, and a lot of fluid game. Yesterday, I learned that he is a good finisher, which definitely does not run in the family. Very smooth. Before this game, I thought he had shooting woes, low release or something. His height really stood out to me yesterday, compared to other game highlights I've seen.

So all-NBA is really high level praise. What are his biggest all-NBA level skills as you both see them?

Edit: and Mike @ LG, definitely respect your opinion, if you care to chime in.


I honestly have no idea if his shooting is legit...I'll leave that to the experts. For me, he just seems WAY more in control than his brother. There was a play where he slowed down his speed on a fastbreak and let the guy filling the lane get a good angle for a pass and dropped a dime in there. Zo goes 100mph with his frenetic (some might say spastic) pace.

Anyways, I'll be the first to admit my biases lol. I went to Jr high/High School in Chino Hills so the Ball clan will always have a soft spot in my heart.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 2:35 pm    Post subject:

Tht>Larry Johnson
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 2:45 pm    Post subject:

Halflife wrote:
Tht>Larry Johnson


Lakers better try to lock THT up then. Larrry Johnson was a multiple time all-star and made 2nd team all-NBA at his peak
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:07 pm    Post subject:

Quote:
For me, he just seems WAY more in control than his brother.


That's a great point. It's weird to say that Lonzo has elite hoop IQ, but has to make simple plays for his teammates to catch up, like that early pass out of PnR and give an advantage to the bigs. LaMelo manipulates defenses with ball handling, that's the skill. Playing well at intermediate speeds? Tough to teach that, and it's an important part of being a point guard.

But hell, Lonzo was never really a point guard.
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 8:17 pm    Post subject:

ducasse wrote:
Halflife wrote:
Tht>Larry Johnson


Lakers better try to lock THT up then. Larrry Johnson was a multiple time all-star and made 2nd team all-NBA at his peak

Yes. He was a beast.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:16 am    Post subject:

I believe LaMelo will be a guy that will likely handed the reigns of a team and deliver the numbers a lot sooner than THT. He has exceptional IQ-court vision as well, and will end up being pretty damn good as a top ballhandler. In a year likely Ball is averaging 15-8-5 a night at minimum.

For THT that is not a given, it is still a toss up whether he is more of a role player or could he be a primary ballhandler on a winning team. It is not as defined that he can get there, but there are signs.

One area where THT wins in right now is defense. It is not even close, the defense THT is showing with Caruso, or when we switch him up, for a 20 year old. That is really good. That wingspan, combined with his strong body, I can see THT being able to play multiple positions defensively.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:53 am    Post subject:

wolfpaclaker wrote:
In a year likely Ball is averaging 15-8-5 a night at minimum.


In a year? Naw. He's hitting that mark right now, ever since his playing time got increased. His average over the last seven games is 15.5 ppg, 7.1 apg, 7.4 rpg. If you look at the whole season on a per 36 basis, his numbers are 18.5 ppg, 8.5 apg, 9.1 rpg. The Hornets have kept him on the bench, presumably to reduce the pressure on him. But at this point, he is often getting starter's minutes.

Don't get me wrong: He's still a rookie and will have ups and downs. Most rookies hit a wall at about mid-season. But let's not undersell the kid. I thought the kid was another overhyped product of Lavar Ball. I was dead wrong.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:02 am    Post subject:

I do wonder if THT was given free rein on a lesser team what he would average.

THT per 36 is 17ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg.

Lamelo is 18.5ppg, 9rpg, 8.5 apg. Wow.

Lamelo may end up being the best player in this draft.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:16 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I do wonder if THT was given free rein on a lesser team what he would average.

THT per 36 is 17ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg.

Lamelo is 18.5ppg, 9rpg, 8.5 apg. Wow.

Lamelo may end up being the best player in this draft.


He was #1 by DT for a long time. Wouldn't surprise me.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 10:24 am    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I do wonder if THT was given free rein on a lesser team what he would average.

THT per 36 is 17ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg.

Lamelo is 18.5ppg, 9rpg, 8.5 apg. Wow.

Lamelo may end up being the best player in this draft.

I have a soft spot for LaMelo, so I hope both he and THT (as a Laker) have fun hooping it up against one another in future ASGs. And if LaMelo becomes a superstar one day, I hope he knows he's more than welcome in the Lakers organization.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:33 am    Post subject:

I think I would take Lamelo right now over THT. He's still a work in progress, but he does seem to have potential to be a better player.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:36 am    Post subject:

Zhengi wrote:
I think I would take Lamelo right now over THT. He's still a work in progress, but he does seem to have potential to be a better player.


All things considered, getting THT for a 2nd round pick instead of a lottery one makes him valuable.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 12:42 pm    Post subject:

Read that Doncic had 4 triple doubles before turning 20. Lamelo doesn't turn 20 until August so I expect him to challenge that.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:50 pm    Post subject:

yinoma2001 wrote:
I do wonder if THT was given free rein on a lesser team what he would average.

THT per 36 is 17ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4 apg.

Lamelo is 18.5ppg, 9rpg, 8.5 apg. Wow.

Lamelo may end up being the best player in this draft.

LaMelo is a weirdly gifted rebounder. I don't know how much value it adds beyond a certain threshold, but the kid reads the ball coming off the rim like skinny Barkley.
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:47 pm    Post subject:

Aeneas Hunter wrote:
focus wrote:
So all-NBA is really high level praise. What are his biggest all-NBA level skills as you both see them?


Just to be clear, I said that he has "future all-NBA" written all over him. The key word is "future." He needs to polish a lot of different aspects of his game. He needs to grow out of his teenage body into a man's body. He needs to avoid all of the pitfalls that go with being a pro athlete, including injuries. But if he does all of that, I can imagine him making the all-NBA team as soon as two or three years from now.

He has the "it" factor that we don't see very often in a player of his age. When I was watching the game, I remembered a comment that someone made here two or three years ago: that Lonzo didn't look like he enjoyed playing basketball. Well, whether that is true or false about Lonzo, it is absolutely false about Lamelo. He basically rolls out of bed and starts attacking. You will not see very many players his age impose their will on the game as much as he does. He reminds me of a young Magic, but remember that Magic played two years of college and was a lot more developed and physically mature than Lamelo is now. It's an unfair comparison at this point. However, I have some distant memories of Magic in his freshman year at Michigan State, and that seems like a pretty fair comparison. Here's what Magic looked like back then.

To answer your specific question, Lamelo is a superior passer, is an excellent rebounder for a guard, and has the sort of aggressive mindset that you see in the greats. His shot looks better than I expected, but needs some polishing. His defense was spotty, but nowhere near as bad as billed. If this kid will put in the work and has the right mentality, look out.
Late thanks, but thanks. I know you said "future" and I was keeping that in mind. I'll admit that I thought that meant All-NBA first team though, not second and third necessarily. First team 2020 was each a future Hall of Famer with all five being potential legends to boot. So getting on that first team (Luka will still be there) in the future means beating out some pretty top talent (Kawhi, CP3, and Jokic - all potential legends themselves were on second team). I was not aware how good a rebounder he was already, and certainly agree that about his passing. He looked more fluid yesterday than I remember this season. I did notice with some of his Australia highlights that he had some great instincts, aggressiveness, and leadership. Still, I was not sold yet on a clear Magic-level, Kobe-level talent - as I was somewhat early seeing in Doncic during his rookie year, AD in college, Lebron in his first game, KD at Texas and Steph like everyone else during NCAA. I completely missed the boat on others though, and predicted top level greatness for some who never did (like Amare Stoudamire and Carmelo).
The "it" factor comment is what I find most interesting. Plus the Magic comparison. That's basically guaranteeing much in the future, assuming no injury problems.
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