New York Knicks fans: LaMelo Ball is not your savior

Despite LaMelo Ball’s rumored desire to play for the New York Knicks, jubilant fans need to pump the brakes on prematurely anointing Ball as their would-be hero.

For New York Knicks fans, I imagine that every season is reminiscent of the cinema cult classic, Groundhog Day. Instead of Phil Connors’ cyclic debauchery through Punxsutawney, however, the Knicks’ annual hell-scape almost always plays out something like this:

Begin the season with one of the league’s worst 40-game starts. Field reports that Superstar X is considering taking his talents to the Big Apple. Embarrassingly wade through the muck of yet another bone-headed James Dolan controversy. Somehow mix in a small winning streak toward the end of the season that both positively provides hope and negatively impacts their lottery odds. Finish the season with a bottom-seven record in the league.

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Forego changes within either the front office or the coaching staff. Obtain a lottery pick that seemingly always falls just shy of the top talents in the draft. Select a player in said draft that fans either initially despise or somehow convince themselves will be a franchise-changer. Strikeout on Superstar X (and Y… and Z…) in free agency. Conclude the offseason with unrealistically high expectations by proxy of placing too much stock in a gaggle of newly-acquired, mid-level pieces. And then the cycle begins again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

After having endured that nearly certain order of events in 15 of their previous 19 seasons, one would think any semi-reasonable Knicks fan would be quick to waive their proverbial white flag. How many inexplicable mistakes can one bare to watch their favorite team make before finally jumping ship? The organization has been the NBA’s preeminent punching bag for nearly two decades, but—for whatever mysterious reason—New York loyalists continue to hold out hope for their beloved, downtrodden Knicks.

Will LaMelo Ball finally break the Knicks’ cycle?

This time around, that sense of hope originates from an 18-year-old internet celebrity that most recently suited up for a team on the opposite side of the globe.

When SportsNet New York journalist, Ian Begley, reported that LaMelo Ball allegedly prefers to make Madison Square Garden his next home stage, many fans could not help but feel that dangerous optimism once again. For the first time since their once-hopeful pursuit of Zion Williamson, a peak of light began to shine through the cloud that perpetually follows the New York Knicks. Though their frequent heartbreaks have become anything but unexpected, however, it is difficult to blame Knicks fans for their excitement on this go-round.

Upon watching several re-runs of LaMelo Ball performances in the NBL (Australia’s premier basketball league), one would quickly understand why many NBA experts view him as a potentially transcendent point guard. Sure, upcoming talents like Anthony Edwards might be a more polished product to begin the next NBA season, but Ball unquestionably presents the highest upside of any prospect in the upcoming draft.

Standing at 6’8″ and featuring a nearly 7-foot wingspan, LaMelo could theoretically cause fits on both sides of the floor for smaller opposing guards. He possesses an uncanny ability to manipulate his defenders, forcing them to play at the pace he wants to play at—a required trait if one means to be a top-tier guard on professional basketball’s biggest stage. Similarly to his brother, Lonzo, LaMelo also demonstrates a knack for rebounding that is rare at his position, and despite his concerning defensive fundamentals, Ball even shows flashes of developing into a versatile defender due to his size and quickness.

What sets LaMelo apart from his contemporaries, however, is his ability to see the floor and deliver extremely precise passes at all levels of the court. As a tall point guard in a league that continues to get smaller, this bodes extremely well for Ball’s growth as a playmaker. Though he tends to make a handful of iffy decisions while running an offense, it is LaMelo’s ability to place passes in spots that translate to one-motion shot attempts for his teammates that makes his upside so tantalizing.

Granted, this is not to say that Ball does not carry a host of deficiencies in his game. His poor shot selection, inefficient shooting percentages, at-times lacking effort on defense, inconsistent decision-making, and unpleasant jump-shot mechanics are all cause for concern for an NBA team that desperately needs an all-around point guard. For a player with these struggles in an environment as demanding as New York City, no less, growing pains are not just probable; they are virtually guaranteed.

And then, of course, there is the off-court drama.

Say what you want about the skills that Lonzo and LaMelo possess (sorry, LiAngelo), but I am going to go out on a speculative limb and say that—due to the antics of their controversial father, LaVar—prospective teams will always struggle to hand a Ball brother the keys to their basketball team. Unfortunately, this is in no way Lonzo’s, LaMelo’s, or LiAngelo’s fault. Still, any team tied to the Ball family will have to suffer through the insufferable LaVar sideshow.

(Side: Seriously, click that link in the above paragraph. You won’t be disappointed.)

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When you then imagine what that circus could look like in New York City—the largest sports market in the world—it is nearly impossible to foresee a fruitful partnership between the Ball family and the ravenous Manhattan media. LaVar has given us zero cause to believe that he would not jam his foot down his throat every step of the way, belittling any New York reporter and Knicks front office executive that stood in his path. For content purposes, I hope this happens. For LaMelo’s sanity, however, I could not imagine a worse outcome for what should be an exciting start to a long and prosperous career.

As a player, LaMelo may have his fair share of flaws, but the peak of what he could become is something I am unsure the NBA has ever seen. Whether or not his on-court and off-court baggage are worth the potential he carries is entirely up to the teams at the top of the NBA draft. For all we know, the disjointed Knicks—for the umpteenth time in franchise history—could see their lottery pick fall just outside of where the top talents in the draft will land. At that point, all of the LaMelo-to-New York hype will die, and Knicks fans will, yet again, longingly look toward a far-off future.

If Ball is available when New York is on the clock, the Knicks are going to take him—make no mistake about it. His upside is too great, and the media frenzy would be too grand for the Knicks’ front office to pass up. However, despite all of the potential that he brings to the table, I feel inclined to hammer home the harsh reality of the potential partnership:

LaMelo Ball is not Rita Hanson. He is not going to save the Knicks from their own rendition of Groundhog Day.

LaMelo will be a fine NBA player for whichever team is fortunate enough to employ his services. Will he reach his full potential? One could only hope. But in New York—where the lights shine a bit brighter, the coaches come and go a bit quicker, and the owner is unanimously considered the worst in the league—there is virtually nothing an 18-year-old can do to stop the seemingly never-ending cycle.

At this point, I’m not sure anyone can.

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