LaMelo Ball opens Timberwolves career with 21 points and 6 assists, plus an outrageously bad missed travel
The Minnesota Timberwolves look like a problem with LaMelo Ball aboard. Especially if he’s allowed to take more than four steps with the ball.
After landing the All-Star point guard in one of the offseason’s biggest trades, the Timberwolves began their season with a 131-106 win over Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
Anthony Edwards (45 points) and Antetokounmpo (35) led their respective teams in scoring, but Ball himself had a nice Minnesota debut with 21 points, 6 assists and 2 steals. He also had the play everyone was talking about, but not necessarily for a good reason.
During the second quarter, Ball had an open court in front of him but opted to step back for a 3-pointer. At first glance, it might have looked like a normal shot to some people. It was certainly treated as normal, with no whistle from the officials.
Instant replay, however, revealed the truth: Ball got away with a hilariously obvious travel, so much so that the ESPN broadcast was astounded while watching the play in slow motion.
Color commentator Richard Jefferson began to defend the play, saying, “My older basketball players next to me, they feel like this is a travel. Me, I think this is … ” but then he was rendered speechless as he got a better look.
The play was bad enough to draw the attention of Ball’s older brother, Lonzo, who called the play as he saw it.
It was ultimately a single, silly moment in an otherwise successful debut for Ball, who spent the first six seasons of his career with the Charlotte Hornets before a surprise blockbuster landed him in Minnesota.
The appeal of adding Ball to the Minnesota core is obvious. Edwards is one of the best players in the NBA. Rudy Gobert is an elite defender and rebounder. The rest of the roster is strong, but a distributor like Ball could elevate every player on a team still trying to break through to the NBA Finals.
Wednesday was a good start, taking on one of the East’s contenders and having no trouble turning Antetokounmpo’s Miami debut into a loss. The Wolves probably shouldn’t expect to get away with a similar shuffle at the perimeter going forward.
