Lonzo quit shooting

Would any other team offer anything of value for him?

Offensively, I’d rather have Langston Galloway out there than Lonzo.

My biggest objection to the Lakers trade was Lonzo. I have never understood the hype, and in watching the team this season I still don’t quite understand it.

Is his defense really THAT good?

Unless he’s a top-20 defensive player in the Association, I’m not sure how he contributes unless the goal is to tank.

The ambiguity of position players on the court only further complicates things.

If we can’t make a serious run once Zion is back, we need to gut this team of guys like Jrue, Favors, Moore, Lonzo and anyone else who could net us a positive asset.

We need a roster next season that will sell tickets and incentivize the ticket holders to actually show up for the games. This current cast of misfits ain’t getting it done, and won’t next year even with Zion unless major roster turnover at least shows the fans that the organization is trying to put a winning product on the court.

Kenrich quit shooting. Zo can make a wide open three, he struggles on step backs.

For the last couple of years it seems this board’s posters have been constantly obsessed with moving players, as the cure for our ills.
Maybe we should just jettison rosters everyJune, and have a whole new team each October. People always want new and shines.

There's a really good bit about Lonzo in a column by Preston Ellis today for The Bird Writes.

LINK

quote:

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Lonzo Ball was anointed the team’s best facilitator since Rajon Rondo, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations nor even accepted that responsibility. He’s relied on his three-point shot more than ever in his career, thus attacks to the rim are down, consisting 24 percent of his shots. He drives the ball to the basket just 5.7 times per game and passes to the Pelicans most dominant offensive players (Jrue and Ingram) on 40 percent of his passes.

If you think back for a moment, we faced this problem with Jrue Holiday. Rajon Rondo would get Holiday going early with backdoor cuts and other easy scores that gave him confidence within the structure of the new offense. As the season progressed, Holiday became the All-Star caliber player, who went on to score 40 points in a series-deciding playoff game.

Why not try it for Ball?

There’s reason behind this prompt.

Ball has been a horrifying negative 14.7 as a ball dominant player this season. He’s initiated just 3.5 PnR possessions per game, converting just .57 points per possession on those attempts which ranks among the 30 worst in the NBA.

Interestingly, he’s been a positive 3.8 working off of Nickeil Alexander-Walker (according to Cleaning the Glass). The Pelicans score over 116 points per 100 possessions with Lonzo at the 2, compared to just over 101 with him at the one. He also shoots more frequently from the corner than above the break and better overall (54.5 percent!).

But what does it mean to be off-ball? It means that Lonzo needs to do more than send an entry pass to the post then hang out beyond the three-point line. He needs to constantly engage himself in the offense like JJ Redick: running the floor, spotting mismatches and creating opportunities for teammates with his body and with his mind.

He can also use this time to refocus on the defensive end where Lonzo has gone from an 87th-percentile defender in 2018-19 to a 34th-percentile in 2019-20.

Lonzo Ball can still possibly become a great player. His confidence has suffered as the Pelicans season has plummeted. Working in a reserve role should continue to increase it, but the Pelicans need to find ways to get him rolling to the basket with easy looks early

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quote:

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The ambiguity of position players on the court only further complicates things.

If we can’t make a serious run once Zion is back, we need to gut this team of guys like Jrue, Favors, Moore, Lonzo and anyone else who could net us a positive asset.

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I think the hope is that Zion can fill the point role for the future. Lonzo would be shoot a much better percentage from 3 if he wasn't taking bad shots off the dribble. We just don't have anyone who consistently attacks the lane to open up kickouts and force rotations. Zion is supposed to have that ability.

quote:

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hope is that Zion can fill the point role for the future. 

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no its not.

Who besides you thinks so?

Hes going to play 4 and 5.

Because elite shooters/off ball guys are an offensive system to themselves.

The Pels dont cut to the basket enough