His one season saw his averages improved significantly. LaMelo would move on to play for the Ibarra Hawks in Australia’s rough-and-tumble NBL. After doing that I felt I could go anywhere.” “I feel it helped me in the long run.” said LaMelo about his experience in Lithuania. Whatever happened in Lithuania, we’ll never truly know, but it proved to be an invaluable experience for LaMelo. It’s true that LaMelo’s minutes were inconsistent and barely played against the more advanced teams in league play (LKL), but he was just 17 years old playing alongside established players. We understand how they helped us, but they don’t” reported by Lithuanian outlet 15min.lt (via ESPN). “It’s sad they didn’t understand what we gave them. “It’s just proof they came here to make a show, not for basketball.” said Vytautas head coach Virginijus Seskus. The younger Ball’s reputation took a hit on the way out being described as “lazy and arrogant” and never “bought in” on and off the court. Pulled out by father LaVar who was frustrated with LaMelo’s playing time. While in Lithuania, Lamelo Ball averaged 6.5 points, 1.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in eight games with BC Vytautas (also known as BC Prienai, Prienu CBet or CBet Prienai).Įven with an impressive debut on his Lithuanian team, LaMelo (along with his brother LiAngelo) would ultimately exit Lithuania early after three months in the Eastern European league. With all things equal, you can see LaMelo’s growth in the two seasons he played overseas. That’s to say LaMelo’s already experienced a lot in his short 19 year life. Instead of going the traditional American college route, the youngest Ball played professionally overseas in Lithuania then in Australia, starred in his own reality show and was one of the faces of his own shoe brand. LaMelo’s maturity and level of play in the NBA is surprising some people, but when you think about LaMelo’s last three years, it all starts to make sense. LaMelo Ball’s Stats in Lithuania and Australia His profile and visibility looks to be just getting started and we’ll be watching him for the next couple decades. That’s all to say, we’ll be seeing more of LaMelo. On the season he’s averaging over six assists a game. He’s averaging 21.6 points per game and doing that on 49% shooting from the floor and 44% from three. Over the previous eight NBA games (in which he started the last six), LaMelo is showing he’s more than just fancy passes and flair. Since that inconsistent start coming off the bench for the Charlotte Hornets, LaMelo’s play improved so much that he now starts for the franchise that drafted him and he’s showing out - quickly making the Rookie of the Year race a runaway in favor of LaMelo at least according to several NBA betting sites that make their living making odds of such things. The #3 pick LaMelo Ball showed off his top tier passing early on, but struggled with shooting and turnovers.
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