NBA Draft 2017: 5 best fits for Lonzo Ball
By Chris Stone
4. Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are another squad without a first round pick, but they also accentuate another positive about Ball’s offensive game: his transition offense. The Rockets were unsurprisingly one of the fastest teams in the league this season at 102.5 possessions per game while UCLA was the sixth fastest offenses in college basketball in 2016-17, per KenPom.
Nearly 30 percent of Ball’s total field goal attempts game in transition during his one-and-done campaign and while he was merely averaged as a scorer in those situations, averaging 1.12 points per possession (64th percentile), per Synergy Sports, he was a tremendous passer who helped put his teammates in positions to succeed.
Ball ranked in the 95th percentile at 1.63 points per possessions in producing transition offense, a slightly different statistic that factors in the assists he doled out to his teammates. The 19-year old is an impressive outlet passer capable of hitting teammates in stride in a way that would make most college quarterbacks jealous. He is also elite at tossing simple hit ahead chest passes to shooters on the perimeter. Ball’s court vision shines in the transition game when he can pick apart a moving defense. That’s what would make Houston such an intriguing fit.