Posted by After the success of Lonzo Ball at UCLA, the Ball family has another chance to show off the family genes when they send LiAngelo Ball there in the fall. While the hype around LiAngelo might not be as spectacular as Lonzo or 2019 recruit LaMelo, he brings his own talent to UCLA this coming season.
He’s a bigger body than Lonzo
Standing at 6’6″ and weighing about 240 pounds, he is the most physically built Ball in the family. He is certainly more of a SG/SF type than either one of his brothers. With his size, he is able to power through defenders more and he can use his size to have an advantage in the paint.
He also has a smoother stroke than Lonzo does
Lonzo brings the ball in front of his face before he goes up for the shot. If you ask any coach, that is not the most efficient way to shoot and is more prone to getting blocks as the talent grows. LiAngelo has a purer stroke than his brother which will help him at his position when he going up against taller small forwards.
He does not have the same expectation that any of the other Balls do
LiAngelo is going in to UCLA as a 3 star prospect and the 40th ranked shooting guard in the nation. It is not someone UCLA would normally recruit, but this is a great opportunity for LiAngleo to get better by playing with competition that will challenge him in practice daily. LaVar Ball came out and said LiAngelo would be the one that would not make it to the NBA, which will, hopefully, motivate LiAngelo to exceed expectations. He will, more than likely, need be a four-year player for the Bruins before he considers the NBA. All of this time will help him improve and hone his game enough to get an opportunity.
LiAngelo can score
LiAngelo Ball has scored 72 points in a game in his career. He is no slouch. In that game he made 13 threes. Yes I said 13 three-point shots. The young man can shoot and should not be taken lightly. Yes, I know, Lamelo scored 92 points in a game, but the style of offense Chino Hills plays in condusive to the point guard reaching such heights. They play 4 back on defense and leave one guy at half court to “cherry pick” if a shot is missed. LiAngelo’s performance was much more impressive.
Yes LiAngelo might be the forgotten brother of the Ball family. Yes his father said he might not be able to make it to the NBA, but he could be a model. Yes he has some big shoes to fill with his brother Lonzo being the number two overall pick in this years NBA draft. But all of these things should motivate and drive LiAngelo to be better than expectation, to prove his father wrong, to prove UCLA wrong, and to prove the world wrong. His father and brother have given him the stage to perform and I hope he takes advantage of this to prove that the Ball family can fight and claw their way to being great.
Ya Boy TO Sports 