LaMelo Ball is a peculiar player. In both style and temperament he is as decisive as he is unpredictable at times, which makes nights like this one possible, as his Timberwolves lost while he put together a frightening stat line (for all the wrong reasons).
Without Anthony Edwards alongside him for now –he went down injured early in the season–, LaMelo carries the weight of the team and has the responsibility of keeping the wins coming, something that was far from the case against the Chicago Bulls (106-117).
The 25-year-old guard spent 30 minutes on the court and finished with a painful 7 of 25 from the field, including a dreadful 4 of 19 from three. That’s right: all the composure he had shown up to now went out of the window in an instant.
Despite his poor display, LaMelo stressed that losing like this to an opponent who could be seen as inferior will be positive going forward. “It was like getting a little smack round the back of the head from your dad or something. It puts you back on the right path. We needed it,” he said.
Despite the defeat, which incidentally came with another good performance from Norman Powell, who scored 24 points, Minnesota continues to have a great season, with a 9-4 record that currently puts them fifth in the Western Conference. No cause for panic.
(Photograph by IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
