To us, when it is played correctly, basketball is a beautiful sport to watch. A local high school coach recently showed footage of the 1986 Boston Celtics moving the ball with the comment that the game never looked better.
Unfortunately, in these days of isolation and fans and players alike going crazy over fancy moves by players, sometimes that gets lost in today’s game.
We should alert you that this could come across as “get off my lawn” basketball guy.
One of the reasons for the popularity of the Golden State Warriors was the way they moved the basketball. Yes, the long range shooting was a factor too, but when the Warriors were playing well, the ball moved rapidly and found the open player.
This isn’t a new concept. The championship Knicks teams (yes, they were good once) of the early 70’s used the mantra “Find the open man”.
We see scouting reports on players and it talks about their shooting range, their leaping ability, how they can see the floor, and how strong they are, but if it’s mentioned at all, there isn’t much on the “team” attitude of the player.
What got us thinking about this was the Cavaliers’ interest in LaMelo Ball, if he is on the board whenever Cleveland makes their first selection.
First, we understand that Ball is still just 18 years old and his father has made the decisions about where he is playing basketball.
But his amateur career has been filled with going from team to team, looking for a way to best showcase his talents.
Quite frankly, it isn’t much different from what people call the “AAU culture”, where players hop from team to team to either play with their friends, which is fine, or to get away from an environment they dislike, such as having to play defense or not get as many shots.
The scouting report on Ball is he has good range on his shot, and can also get to the basket and finish. He has tremendous court vision and can find teammates in stride or in rhythm, and can play defense when he is committed.
His weaknesses are that he’s not an explosive athlete and needs to improve his shot selection. Both of those areas can be improved with a workout program and experience if he is willing to be coached.
So, he has talent. Let’s face it, if you are being projected to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft, you can play the game.
But you have to wonder what it would look like if the Cavs took him.
Yes, we know he played at SPIRE Institute in 2018, so he’s familiar with the area, but we would wonder if he would be just biding his time until he can get out of Cleveland, which might also be said about several other players in the draft.
What we don’t know is what kind of teammate he is. Is he someone who would be happy with 5 points and 7 assists in a win, or would he rather score 35 points in a loss?
We also understand the way players are viewed in the NBA has changed. For many younger fans, winning has become secondary, visually pleasing play is better. We’ve addressed this issue before.
How many of the younger players have adjusted their game to a style that leads to more winning? We saw Collin Sexton make some strides late last season.
This isn’t an indictment of Ball, he just has the highest profile. But the willingness to do things to win should be part of the equation. It truly isn’t all about talent.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 