LaMelo Ball ☆ Follow

Over rates and minutes projection: turn on Prediction tools.

Starts 3 of 3 games · 6th on MIN in minutes · Rotation role

Bars: minutes in his last 3 games · numbers: points

Situational splits: turn on Prediction tools.

Every situation, with four seasons of history →

• Podcast Locked On Hornets host · Opinion · 38 h ago around the league

  The host says it is not panic time; trading LaMelo Ball was not expected to make the team immediately better or win a playoff series.

  “Hornets have HISTORIC Loss | Brandon Miller STRUGGLES | Should We PANIC?” at 27:15 · listen ↗

• Podcast Hardwood Knocks · 2 points · 47 h ago
  • Minnesota hit 14 threes against Miami in a game that became a blowout. The worst team mark last year was the Kings' 10.3. at 1:17:35
  • The Heat could only really attack Anthony Edwards when LaMelo was on the bench, and the host suggests Edwards is seeing more single coverage. Jaden McDaniels has looked pretty good. at 1:19:18

  “The 2026-27 NBA Overreactions Draft!” · listen ↗

• Podcast KG Certified · 3 points · Oct 24
  • Anthony Edwards dropped 45 and 10 with nine threes in Miami on opening night, after a public 'we don't fuck with y'all' message alongside teammate LaMelo. at 57:43
  • LaMelo Ball put up 21-6 in the opener. The host thinks Minnesota has a really good chance with LaMelo there. at 58:03
  • A host thinks people underestimate how LaMelo will help Ant: getting Ant into spots so he doesn't always have to initiate. The host compares it to Kon Knueppel just catching and shooting. at 58:59

  “Ant & LaMelo Look Dangerous, LeBron Takes On Embiid and KG Believes in Luka’s Lakers | KG CERTIFIED” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Magic · 2 points · Oct 24
  • Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball combined to shoot 9-for-36 for 27 points; the host says the Magic kept Minnesota's stars in check. at 5:24
  • The host questions Sean Sweeney's matchup choices of Jalen Suggs on Anthony Edwards and Franz Wagner on LaMelo Ball. He thinks you need size on Edwards, who got downhill, drew help and collapsed the paint, though he says the Magic defended Edwards pretty well in a lot of ways. at 30:21

  “WARNING SIGNS: Orlando Magic struggle to PIECE team together, fall to 0-2 in opening homestand” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Wolves · 4 points · Oct 23
  • Staggering: LaMelo Ball ran with the bench in the first half and Anthony Edwards did in the second half. Jack likes the staggering. at 6:10
  • Jack's view of roles: Edwards and LaMelo are the stars, with some combination of Dosunmu, Jaden, Rudy and Kuminga doing the little things. at 9:34
  • Biggest takeaway after two games: the offense flows and the ball moves much more easily with LaMelo Ball running it than in previous seasons. at 18:28
  • Ayo Dosunmu and TJ have both played well off LaMelo and as the main ball handlers. at 19:42

  “WOLVES POSTCAST: T-Wolves CRUISE PAST ORLANDO MAGIC In Total Team Effort, 115-93” · listen ↗

• Story ESPN · Article · Oct 23

  Hornets blown out by Hawks 128-81 in first game home without LaMelo Ball, booed by sellout crowd

  source ↗

• Podcast The Mismatch host · Report · Oct 23 around the league

  Against Miami, Anthony Edwards got whatever he wanted. So far he has played at his best next to LaMelo, and both had strong games.

  “The Return of Loves and Loathes. Plus: A Historic Thursday Night.” at 21:10 · listen ↗

• Podcast Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective · 2 points · Oct 23
  • The Timberwolves traded for LaMelo Ball. at 32:06
  • Rudy Gobert is grabbing rebounds and quickly heaving outlets to start the break and get the ball to LaMelo and Ant. at 35:13

  “Luka Gets Called Out As Lakers Dominate + Who Made A Game 1 Statement?” · listen ↗

• Podcast The Athletic NBA Daily host · Report · Oct 23 around the league

  Edwards and LaMelo Ball carved up the Heat defense on opening night. A host thinks Ball is a perfect complement to Edwards.

  “The Thunder Are Inevitable + Philly Trusts the Process” at 20:54 · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On Wolves · 6 points · Oct 23
  • LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards went a combined 14 of 30 from three against Miami. Edwards scored 45 points. at 2:07
  • The host describes the regular starting lineup as the core four plus Jonathan Kuminga. The small-ball lineup is the core four plus Ayo Dosunmu, whom he assumes is the sixth man. at 2:43
  • LaMelo Ball on the bench, Miami began blitzing Edwards to get the ball out of his hands, and Edwards responded by making difficult shots. at 5:15
  • Danny Chow (The Ringer) (reported): Ringer stat: Edwards and Ball were among the five most prolific pull-up three-point shooters last season. Only two duos have ranked that high since 2013-14 (Harden/Paul, Lillard/McCollum), and both of those teams had no worse than the second-best offense. at 8:14
  • First-quarter set, run multiple times: McDaniels comes up to screen the man guarding LaMelo Ball, then slips. Ball rises from deep and dumps the ball to McDaniels near the free-throw line for a floater, with Edwards and Kuminga in the corners and Gobert in the dunker spot. at 16:10
  • Chris Finch largely staggered Edwards and LaMelo Ball. They played together only at the start of the first quarter, the start of the third, and for a stretch in the fourth; one of them was always on the floor. at 22:16

  “How The Minnesota Timberwolves' Offense DOMINATED | Unlocking Jonathan Kuminga & Jaden McDaniels” · listen ↗

• Podcast The Herd with Colin Cowherd · 2 points · Oct 22
  • Chris Finch (reported): Host paraphrase: Chris Finch said last year's team was 'a moody bunch'. He said LaMelo Ball is always in a great mood, so they 'traded out moodiness for happiness'. at 34:51
  • The host still has well-documented concerns about LaMelo Ball: his maturity, no playoff track record, and a poor play-in résumé. at 36:20

  “What's Wright - NBA Opening Night REACTION, Caleb Williams vs. Drake Maye, Chiefs-Seahawks MASSIVE game” · listen ↗

• Podcast Gil's Arena · 3 points · Oct 22
  • LaMelo Ball's Wolves debut: 21 points, 6 assists and 5 threes. at 9:23
  • Haywood framed Minnesota's LaMelo Ball acquisition as getting a former All-Star at a discount because of a negative reputation 'tag'. He suggested Charlotte would have kept Ball without that tag, and Naz Reid is now in Charlotte. He credited Minnesota's front-office head, heard as 'Tim Conley'. name not confirmed at 23:49
  • LaMelo Ball; Lonzo Ball (quoted): The travel debate: Lonzo Ball tweeted that the play was a travel. On SportsCenter, LaMelo said he 'let the ball guide' and that you can take as many steps as you want when doing so. Gil argued it is not called a travel because the step count starts only once the player has control of the ball. at 1:10:54

  “Luka's Snowtime Lakers COOK GSW, Ant-Man & Lamelo WENT CRAZY vs MIA & AD Goes VINTAGE In D.C.! Part 1” · listen ↗

• Story CBS Sports · Article · Oct 22

  NBA refs confirm LaMelo Ball's ridiculous double stepback was indeed a travel: 'He takes four steps'

  source ↗

• Podcast The Zach Lowe Show · 2 points · Oct 22
  • Zach Lowe: Miami only started blitzing Edwards late, while LaMelo Ball was on the bench resting. Lowe reads that as teams only feeling safe blitzing Edwards when Ball is off the floor. at 22:49
  • The guest thought LaMelo Ball competed harder on defense than usual, fighting through screens and chasing Klay. at 24:51

  “Opening Night Overreactions, Alarming Trends, Hot Takes, and More!” · listen ↗

• Podcast The Herd with Colin Cowherd · 3 points · Oct 22
  • Minnesota moved off Julius Randle and got LaMelo. The host says the team had become too plodding and slow with Rudy Gobert and Randle. at 42:48
  • The host says Minnesota chose speed and pace over size, with LaMelo as the play initiator getting Edwards the ball at the rim and on the perimeter. The aim is to make Wembanyama and OKC's bigs chase them around the court. at 43:03
  • The host worries about LaMelo's health. He calls him possibly injury prone, immature, and fast but sometimes sloppy. These are concerns, not a reported injury. at 42:58

  “THE HERD – HOUR 1 – LeBron and Lakers both won the divorce I Caleb Williams vs Drake Maye” · listen ↗

• Podcast First Take · 4 points · Oct 22
  • Edwards and Ball scored or assisted on 82 points, 63% of Minnesota's 131. They became the first duo in Timberwolves history to each make five threes in a season opener. at 1:56
  • The analyst (addressed as 'Shanae') said LaMelo Ball unlocks an MVP conversation for Edwards and that Minnesota might be the most dangerous team in the West, while stressing she is not saying it is the best. at 2:16
  • Analyst: defenders cannot leave LaMelo Ball once he crosses half court, which takes pressure off Edwards. She said Ball made five threes, hedged with 'I believe'. at 3:13
  • Stephen A.: with Ball at point guard, Edwards no longer has to worry about playing point guard, which will free him up even more. at 5:06

  “Hour 1: Does LaMelo Ball unlock an MVP year for Anthony Edwards?” · listen ↗

• Story ESPN · Article · Oct 22

  LaMelo Ball obviously traveled on way to 3-pointer, NBA refs confirm

  source ↗

• Podcast Get Up · 3 points · Oct 22
  • Anthony Edwards scored 45 in his first game with LaMelo Ball. A host said he made nine threes ('I believe') and had two steals. at 28:11
  • Cheney would not be surprised if Edwards is seriously in MVP consideration. Cheney said LaMelo Ball gives him a running mate who makes the game easier, so he doesn't have to work as hard to create offense. at 28:18
  • The hosts showed a LaMelo Ball play from last night that they called an uncalled travel (counting up to six steps). They said officials will likely correct this after game one. at 29:08

  “Hour 2: Luka's Lakers, Fly or Fold, Hook 'Em” · listen ↗

• Podcast Get Up host · Report · Oct 22 around the league

  The hosts said a LaMelo Ball step-back (counted as roughly six steps) was not called a travel, even with two officials nearby. One host suggested the NBA will be okay with it.

  “Hour 1: Hollywood Heat, The McCarthy Era, Lamar Limbo” at 31:12 · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On NBA · 8 points · Oct 22
  • Analysis, probably Matt's: Finch brings a screener into LaMelo Ball's actions every time. Defenses then have to account for Gobert slipping to the rim or Jaden McDaniels moving into space. at 3:15
  • Analysis, probably Matt's: help defense against these actions lets LaMelo Ball, from half court, whip skip passes to the other side for open threes. at 3:27
  • Hayes's view: LaMelo Ball doesn't necessarily make Edwards a more dominant player, but he makes it easy for Edwards to dominate his one-on-one matchup. at 4:13
  • Caveat from Hayes: both guards had hot shooting nights, so it remains to be seen how the pairing looks when shots, especially from the perimeter, aren't falling. at 4:32
  • Heat locker room (unnamed) (reported): Same speaker: the plan was to pick up Edwards and LaMelo Ball around 30 feet, but the Heat didn't do it. The Heat thought Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins could fight over the screens, and they were wrong. at 6:00
  • Jaden McDaniels scored 17. Minnesota has him set half-court screens for LaMelo Ball and then slip into space. at 7:12
  • Hayes: last year Minnesota needed McDaniels as a secondary creator, because Mike Conley was 'basically aged out' and Edwards was the only primary guy. Now LaMelo Ball and Edwards are the two primary creators, and McDaniels' creation is a bonus. at 7:34
  • A host's opinion on how to defend Minnesota: call LaMelo Ball a bad finisher and dare him to make layups, rather than let him drive and kick out. Make the other guys beat you, not Edwards. at 11:09

  “Timberwolves SCARY Backcourt & Warriors Disastrous Start” · listen ↗

• Podcast Numbers on the Board host · Analysis · Oct 22 around the league

  Host says LaMelo is 'gone', which puts more on Brandon Miller's plate. Brandon Miller is the host's pick for Most Improved Player.

  “LIVE From Chicago! | Numbers On The Board” at 18:00 · listen ↗

• Podcast The Athletic NBA Daily · 3 points · Oct 22
  • A host predicts the Edwards-LaMelo Ball duo will lead the NBA in three-pointers. at 4:03
  • A host argues Rudy Gobert's screening creates a lot of space for LaMelo Ball and says Ball has never had a screener of Gobert's level. at 5:45
  • Ball and Edwards were plus-16 in their 17 minutes on the floor together. at 6:09

  “Wolves Make a Big Statement in Miami + Luka’s Showtime Era Begins” · listen ↗

• Podcast Locked On NBA · 4 points · Oct 22
  • Timberwolves beat the Heat by 25 as Anthony Edwards scored 45 in LaMelo Ball's debut in a Wolves uniform. at 4:40
  • LaMelo Ball finished with 21 points, six assists and one turnover. Ryan Blackburn (inferred) called the single turnover very notable, given the concern that the Wolves offense might get out of control. at 5:09
  • Ben Beacon says LaMelo did what the Wolves needed: bend the defense and create more opportunities for Edwards. at 5:16
  • Gavin (inferred) says that next to LaMelo, Edwards can play off the ball and get an open corner three now and then, after essentially his whole NBA career of having to create for himself. at 3:10

  “GAME NIGHT: Ant/LaMelo SHINE in Debut, Luka talks trash, Ty Jerome goes OFF” · listen ↗

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