After earning his way into a G League contract and onto the Oklahoma City Blue roster in the last week, LiAngelo Ball broke his silence about his path into the NBA.
Most notable of his quotes with The Oklahoman reporter Joe Mussatto was his proclamation that he is as good as brothers Lonzo and LaMelo.
“I know I’m just as good as them because I grew up training with them. If they can get it done I feel like I can do it too. That just motivates me more.”
For as much as the rankings matter, LiAngelo was the lowest-rated recruit of the trio of brothers. According to 247Sports, Lonzo was a five-star recruit ranked No. 3 in his class and LaMelo was also a five-star recruit ranked No. 23 in his class. LiAngelo, meanwhile, was a three-star recruit ranked No. 226 nationally.
LiAngelo has certainly improved since the days of high school but he has never been regarded as a player as good as either of his brothers. He’s a far more one-dimensional player with his only real plus-ability relative to the NBA is his three-point shooting.
But LiAngelo will get his chance to prove his talent on his biggest stage yet as he takes part in the final month of the G League season. If he’s right about himself, it could lead to a much bigger role moving forward.
