![]() Star players in the modern game need to be able to create their own shots from pull-up jump-shooting to finishing effectively at the rim/drawing fouls. For a rookie guard entering the league, it’s important to have certain modern elements to their game, or else that can potentially cap their ceiling. The game has changed and more stylistic approaches are being made that signal how we value and perceive rookies. However, we have been looking through the lens of all-encompassing box score measures in OBPM and usage to measure how unprecedented it is for a rookie. Utilizing OBPM again this can be illustrated below with the distribution showing the progression of rookies, sophomores, third-year players, and so on.Īll in all, LaMelo has stood out amongst having one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory while maintaining a very high usage. However, one fact remains the same rookies are just not good. The league has been trending in this direction as more high-profile rookies are taking on massive usage rates from the get-go. They can’t rely on the easy looks generated by teammates. As Seth also points out, players are forced into more difficult “star” shots as their usage increases. ![]() This is the case except for unique situations, defined by Seth Partnow of The Athletic, in the heliocentrism era such as Luka Doncic and Trae Young. While usage and OBPM are clearly correlated, maintaining that level of play with more usage flowing through the player is inherently difficult especially for a rookie. That’s pretty good company and all while maintaining an above-average usage rate. ![]() While not in the upper echelon of all-time great rookies according to OBPM that include players like Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, David Robinson, and Vince Carter, LaMelo does find himself among names like Damian Lillard, Brandon Roy, Stephon Marbury, Grant Hill, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Below is a plot of OBPM and usage rate for all rookies with at least 900 minutes played since the 1979-80 season. Specifically, we’ll look at Offensive BPM due to BPM being less trustworthy on the defensive side, largely being driven by block and steal rates. We would prefer to look at one of the former metrics but in terms of looking for a proxy that can capture an estimate to how well a player is playing, less on the measured impact a player is having, BPM will serve its purpose. More modern impact metrics (LEBRON, RAPTOR, RPM) are only available for the tracking era (back to 2013-14), whereas since BPM 2.0 is calculated only using box score statistics we can go back as far back as we like. How does LaMelo Ball compare to some of the greatest NBA rookies ever? WwTtO9BqfEīut how good of a season is he actually having? In what historical context does he sit? To answer this, we’ll look at Box Plus-Minus 2.0 by Daniel Myers from 1980 to see where LaMelo stacks up among some of the greatest rookie seasons ever. ![]() Regardless of how head coach Steve Clifford elects to alter his lineup moving forward, Smith and Kelly Oubre would seem to be the main candidates to benefit from Ball's absence.LaMelo is exceptionally good. Terry Rozier could end up taking over as the Hornets' primary point guard in Ball's stead, but if they elect to keep him at shooting guard, a spot in the starting five would likely open up for Dennis Smith. If Ball's season is in fact over, he'll finish with averages of 23.3 points, 8.4 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 4.0 three-pointers and 1.3 steals in 35.2 minutes per game over 36 appearances. Lower-body issues have derailed Ball's third NBA campaign, as it was a Grade 2 left ankle sprain that cost him the first 13 games of the season and an aggravation of that injury that sidelined him for another 11 games. ![]() The Hornets aren't yet offering a timeline for Ball's return, but given the nature of his injury, it appears fairly safe to conclude that he'll miss most of - if not all - of what's left of the 2022-23 season. He scored 18 points (6-9 FG, 6-7 3Pt, 0-1 FT), six rebounds and five assists in 21 minutes prior to departing. Ball was diagnosed with fractured right ankle following his early exit from Monday's 117-106 win over the Pistons. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |