re: Offseason player trade rumors thread

This team taught him how to shoot which is actually what he likes to do most. Even when the dude couldn’t shoot at all, he would do wild shite like go 0-13 from the 3pt line.

Remember the last time this franchise made the playoffs? It’s because Lonzo choked away several games when he was on the Lakers against us and other key western conference rivals that were trying to make the playoffs.

Also, if he sacrifices so much, why can’t the motherfricker get through one fricking screen a game?

I think this board appreciates and rates Zo appropriately considering he’s about to make 18 mil plus a year. He’s an oft injured, inconsistent 3 and D point guard, with occasional flashes of defensive potential, an emerging mid range game, that can throw pinpoint full court lobs, but can’t really direct a halfcourt offensive set or finish at the rim to save his life.

If you are banking on Zo to be your 3rd best player, you have a higher probability of being the 12th seed than the 8th. If he’s your 5th or 6th best player, then you might have something there, but it’s tough to pay your 5th or 6th best player 20 mil plus, so maybe this isn’t quite the situation for him. I think he’d probably be great in his role on Golden State or Brooklyn if they could figure out a way to swap him out for a player making 12-15 mil or so.

3rd best player on the Pels making 22 mil a year though? frick that shite. Do you want this team to suck every year?

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He has been partnered with ball dominant point guards, Bledsoe and Jrue that transformed him to a 3&D shooting guard.

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Bled and Jrue aren't ball dominant

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Lonzo is the most under appreciated player on this board.

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He’s appreciated accurately. He’s a wildly mediocre player that’s treated like a star. He’s a PG that refuses to drive to the basket, can’t make FTs, doesn’t fight under screens, is average defensively but treated like he’s Gary Payton online, and improved to making 32% of his 3 pt shots of you take out February.

If his name wasn’t Lonzo Ball he wouldn’t even be in line for the MLE.

I’m not sure he’d even get that.

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41.7% —> 56.6% —-> 78.1%

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On 1.2 attempts a game. He doesn’t get to the line ever because he refuses to drive or create contact.

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Expound on how you are measuring his defense

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By watching him play basketball.

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I just had to check, and you’re removing 27% of his attempts on the year? Bravo

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Thank you. You’ve helped prove my point.

I think Lonzo is worth more than the MLE, but I also think his Stans greatly over value him and talk up aspects of his game that while improved, aren’t good enough or used enough effectively to really mean much.

Like Lonzo is a solid transition passer, but he’s not a diverse enough scorer or playmaker in that role that you want him controlling the ball instead of Zion or BI. So is it a nice option and skill to have? Yeah. Do I ultimately think it’s a major difference factor in our offense? Not really.

Same with his improved FT%. It’s all good and well his percentage has gone up to the point you can actually not consider pulling him in fourth quarters because he can be hacked, but when you barely average more than 1 ft attempt a game, it’s basically empty numbers.

And because Lonzo lacks basically any sort of above average scoring skillset in the half court, and isn’t a good P n R player or half court playmaker, if he isn’t hitting the three he’s basically useless that game outside of being a decoy. And teams don’t respect him enough as a shooter yet, I suspect, in large part because unlike Redick and other shooters, he really doesn’t utilize cuts and screens to create chaos, just sort of plants himself. And if a defender closes out he doesn’t really have a drive and pull up game that is reliable, so he’s limited in that regard.

I’ve framed it this way before, but if Lonzo was playing on another team this past season playing the way he did, would we be looking to bring him in as our third player next to Zion and BI? I think the answer is pretty emphatically no. I’d still be fine holding onto the asset is the right sign and trade isn’t available, but he’s very much an upgradable piece unless he drastically improves his game.

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Let me ask, if his name was say oh idk Miles Bridges, Og anunoby, a Kevin Huerter (spare me the literally comps plz) - let’s call em similarly aged guys who have improved every year of their young career and haven’t hit their ceiling - would this fan base be clamoring for a Lonzo return?

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I haven't scouted them to say this for sure, but my first reaction is most of those are much better defenders. Lonzo not being able to navigate screens is just such a huge negative and was a big part of our defensive problems last season. He absolutely cannot be your team's best defender or you won't have a good defense.

I think Huerter probably isn't a bad comp, but Bridges and Anunoby are much better defenders by reputation.

If I had to pay Huerter or Miles Bridges over $20 million a year, I would throw up in my mouth. OG is a massively better player, and will be making $16 million next season.

You may have meant Mikal, who is also a much better player IMO and will make $5 million next season.

These comps are perfect examples for not wanting Lonzo at anywhere near the price points being discussed.

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OG is a massively better player, and will be making $16 million next season.

These comps are perfect examples for not wanting Lonzo at anywhere near the price points being discussed.

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Interdasting. Same draft class and same age. Played to the same PER this last season