Lonzo Ball has had an up-and-down start to his NBA career.
The Los Angeles Lakers point guard has shown flashes of brilliance, but he was held scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the Lakers’ loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night, prompting TNT analyst Charles Barkley to give a brutally honest break down of Ball’s issues.
“He’s got this defect in his game because he can only shoot the ball from the left side of his body,” Barkley said after the game. “So he can only shoot going left, because he can’t go right because he’s bringing the ball from over here. So he’s only half of a player right now and guys are taking half his body away.”
Barkley has been known for outlandish takes, like when he said there was “no such thing as a vegetarian” before Thursday’s Lakers-Blazers game.
This, however, seems like spot-on analysis from the Hall of Famer.
Ball’s unorthodox jump shot causes him to load the ball from his left hip, making it difficult for him to get off a shot while going right.
The UCLA product is a brilliant passer and an unselfish player, but it appears he’ll need to fix the hitch in his shot if he’s going to be successful in the NBA.
Thumbnail photo via Craig Mitchelldyer/USA TODAY Sports Images
