CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lonzo Ball doesn’t dole out much advice to younger brother LaMelo. No need, really.
“Not too (many) things you need to tell a kid like that,” New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo said Thursday. “He’s already been in the spotlight for a long time.”
Lonzo’s Pelicans and LaMelo’s Charlotte Hornets play Friday in New Orleans, in a game nationally televised on ESPN. It’s the first time these two have played against each other in a formal game. But what used to happen in two-on-two or three-on-three in the Ball backyard was crazy competitive.
“Nobody took it easy,” LaMelo recalled of the pick-up ball among brothers growing up. “That was probably the most competitive basketball, right there in the backyard. Fighting, scrapping, falling on concrete.
“Parents getting scared when their kids went back there. It was something you had to witness, for real.”
Lonzo went second in the 2017 draft and was later traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Pelicans. LaMelo went third in this summer’s draft and, at least based on eight games, is a candidate for Rookie of the Year.
Three years separate them in age. They played together one year on a 35-0 state champion at Southern California’s Chino Hills High, along with middle brother LiAngelo, now signed in the G-League.
Then, their paths to the pros diverged: Lonzo playing college ball at UCLA, and LaMelo playing professionally overseas (Lithuania and Australia) before becoming draft-eligible.
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Both said in group interviews Thursday they don’t view this game as a big deal. As LaMelo observed, it’s likely a bigger occasion for his family.
Others who’ve been through this might disagree.
“That’s always a little bit different,” said Hornets center Cody Zeller, who played against older brother Tyler multiple times in the NBA.
“Obviously, I want the best for him and want him to play well, but for a couple nights a year, you have to push that aside and say, ‘All right, let’s go at it for a couple hours.’ ”
It seems likely the Balls will end up matched one-on-one at some point in this one; they are of similar size (Lonzo 6-6 and LaMelo 6-7) and have similar playmaker skill sets.
Lonzo knew this first game would draw eyeballs. He wasn’t surprised ESPN would televise it nationally. He’s trying not to let the build-up be a distraction.
“I kind of already knew once he made it to the league we would end up playing against each other and it was going to be everywhere and it would bring a lot of attention,” Lonzo said.
“It’s going to be cool seeing him out there and everything, but he is going to do what he can for his team and I will do what I can for mine.”
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LaMelo seemed to captivate Hornets fans as soon as he took the court in the preseason. He isn’t yet starting, but he effectively plays starter’s minutes — twenty-four or more in each of the past five games off the bench. He has scored in double figures in each of those games, he is tied for 12th in the NBA in steals (1.6 per game) and he’s good for roughly five rebounds and five assists per game.
He has cut down on the turnovers he committed in the preseason (five over the last three games).
His creative and daring passing has even his coach baffled sometimes.
“I have no idea what’s going to happen when he touches the ball. His teammates don’t know and, most importantly, our opponents don’t know,” Hornets coach James Borrego said.
“He sparks us, he energizes us (and) you better have your hands ready, because that ball could be zinging (your) way any second.”
One of the traits most obvious about LaMelo so far is his seemingly undentable confidence. His father, LaVar, had LaMelo playing against older kids throughout his childhood.
That seemingly forged a toughness and a faith in himself that is rare.
“It’s a good to see — the hard work pay off and the time my dad put in,” Lonzo said. “All the hills we were running and all of the time on the court ...
“He’s not afraid of anyone and he has always played up. It has always been that way for him.”
