When it comes to LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball’s escapades in Lithuania, few (if any) in American sports media are as plugged in as Jeff Goodman. ESPN’s Basketball Insider was at the airport in Vilnius to greet LaVar Ball and his family when they landed, followed them in Prienai for their debut with Prienu Vytautas and gave the Big Baller Brand CEO the outlet to criticize Luke Walton, Lonzo Ball’s coach with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Goodman recently hopped on ESPN Radio in L.A. to break down Gelo and Melo’s basketball sojourn to Eastern Europe, and came back with some stinging reviews for both brothers.
Like many who have seen LaMelo play in some capacity, Goodman lambasted the 16-year-old for his lack of effort defensively.
“Jimmer Fredette was probably the worst defensive player I ever saw in college, and LaMelo makes Jimmer look like Bruce Bowen,” Goodman said.
That said, Goodman thought Melo has “a chance down the road” to make it in the NBA, but that LaVar’s youngest son needs to “be in the right system” – one that will “reel him back in” from his suspect shot selection and penchant for “flashy” plays.
As for LiAngelo, Goodman saw no such pot of gold at the end of the proverbial rainbow. He characterize Gelo’s ceiling as that of “a low-level overseas player” who has used his superior size and strength to play bully ball against younger teenagers in the Big Baller Brand Challenge Games.
“He’s fine where he is,” Goodman said, “but again, any illusion that LaVar has of him playing with the Lakers or probably even the G-League team are farfetched.”
In both cases, Goodman advised that viewers “not get carried away by the numbers LiAngelo and LaMelo are putting up right now,” since their stats are coming against “primarily lower-level overseas professional players or young kids that are 15, 16, 17 years old.”
Those are all fair points, and nothing far afield from the emerging consensus on the Ball brothers. Still, it is interesting to hear the reporter who gave LaVar an at-times regrettable megaphone while abroad offer such a harsh assessment of the situation now that he’s back home.
