Make sure you guys stay tuned for LiAngelo Ball's on court performance at the NBA Pre Draft Combine.
While most of the top prospects are deep into their respective predraft processes, following last week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, LiAngelo Ball’s journey to the league has only just begun. Come Tuesday, Lonzo Ball’s younger brother will be in Bradenton, Florida, showing off his skills for representatives of at least 19 NBA teams during the second annual Professional Basketball Combine (PBC) at IMG Academy.
And while the scouts there will want to see specific skills in action from attendees-including shooting off screens, making quick reads, defending multiple positions and jumping quickly to crash the glass-Gelo has a broader picture that he hopes to paint for observers.
“I want to show the scouts that I can score at all three levels, as far as posting up and shooting midrange and my three-pointer,” the 19-year-old told Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer.
LiAngelo has already established his long-range bona fides to an extent. He shot 40.7 percent (37-of-91) on three-point attempts in Lithuanian (LKL) League play with Prienu Vytautas. Granted, those shots came from behind a FIBA line that’s more than a foot-and-a-half closer to the basket than its NBA counterpart.
That said, the more glaring concern for Gelo to address will come inside the arc. He hit a middling 44.9 percent of his two-point attempts overseas, despite showcasing some intriguing footwork in the low post, and converted just 62.5 percent (20-of-32) of his free throws.
Throw in questions about LiAngelo’s speed, lateral quickness, leaping ability and defensive acumen, and you wind up with a prospect who, at present, seems unlikely to get drafted in June.
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Fortunately for Gelo, the three-on-three format of scrimmages at the PBC should allow him to showcase his offensive skills in a more free-flowing setting.
“It’s a lot more open court, so you can really show your one-on-one defense and one-on-one game more,” he said.
Shoring up those aspects will also be important for LiAngelo in his search for NBA employment going forward. Though the PBC didn’t have any alums drafted after its inaugural event last year, it did help a handful of young players land two-way contracts, including Antonio Blakeney, the G-League’s reigning Rookie of the Year.
Like all of this year’s participants, then, Gelo will hope to be the first PBC prospect to be one of the 60 selections on June 21. Short of that, he will once again have to tread a more circuitous path to join his brother in the NBA, be it by earning a training camp invite through the Las Vegas Summer League or returning to the international scene to further hone his game professionally.
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22 май 2018
