Opinion: LiAngelo Ball? After Shining In NBA Summer League The Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets And Indiana Pacers Should Look At The Middle Ball Brother
LiAngelo Ball played in the NBA Summer League for the Charlotte Hornets and in five games he averaged 9.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals in just under 18 minutes per game.
Not too shabby.
The 22 year old was fifth on the team in scoring, second in steals while only playing the eighth most minutes per game out of 13 players.
He proved that he can play.
Jordan Schultz of ESPN reported on Twitter that the Hornets love Ball, and his Tweets can be seen embedded below.
Since he is a free agent, here are some teams that should take a look at the middle Ball brother.
Charlotte Hornets: This one is obvious. LiAngelo played for their NBA Summer League team and performed at a very high level in the first few games. His younger brother LaMelo is their franchise point guard who just won Rookie of The Year, and he has a long history of playing with his brothers. Now that he's been with the organization, this would be the ideal fit.
Indiana Pacers: The Indiana Pacers need some excitement. Yes, a player that will likely get limited minutes or be a candidate for a two-way contract does not bring much excitement. However, they are a team that lacks a significant social media presence from their players and only have one National TV game all season (see Tweet below from Scott Agness of The Fieldhouse Flies).
Ball is only 22 years old, so on the floor that is worth the flyer in itself. He is also a forward who can shoot and defend (something the Pacers need off the bench), and If he were to pan out, he would be a player that would get more people interested in the team.
Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers need to fill out their roster with players on cheap contracts, and that have youth and shooting ability. At 22 years old, Ball is inexpensive, a shooter and young. The Lakers are also very familiar with the family because Lonzo was their 2018 number two overall pick before he was traded to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis trade.
New York Knicks: The Knicks play in the Mecca. Madison Square Garden. If he were to be able to make the roster, he would be an instant fan favorite. The reaction to Ball on social media and in the stands at NBA Summer League shows what he brings in terms of excitement and there is no better place for that than the Garden. That being said, just from a basketball perspective, the Knicks could use a small forward off the bench that can shoot and they're a relatively young team.
