While Lonzo Ball crafted out a solid role with the Pelicans this season, it hasn’t been a season or career one would expect from a No. 2 pick. Ball’s career has been an up-and-down one but it’s hard to say it has ever reached the status of a No. 2 pick.
However, as Jay Williams recently noted in a podcast appearance with Heavy’s Brandon Robinson, that doesn’t necessarily mean he isn’t or won’t be a good player.
“I think Lonzo Ball could be a really good NBA player and I think we need to reset expectations for Lonzo. It’s okay; you don’t have to average a LeBron James triple double. Just average a triple double. It’s still going to get you paid a lot of money and you can still be part of a winning organization and you can still be part of a championship team. I ultimately do like the attributes he does bring to the table, I just think we need to stop talking about Lonzo like he’s going to be Devin Booker. We need to re-set expectations for him. That’s okay!”
It’s an argument of how much expectations should factor into the discussion. By virtually every standard, Ball has been a net positive player in the league throughout his career. His Box Plus-Minus (BPM) for his career is 0.5 while his Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is 3.3.
The problem is that expectations of a No. 2 pick are much higher than that. Even Jayson Tatum, the pick after Ball, has a 1.6 BPM and a 6.5 VORP for his career.
Ball may still be able to have a breakout season akin to teammate Brandon Ingram next season or somewhere down the line. But even if he doesn’t and he continues his current trajectory, Ball will still be a valuable NBA player.
