To me, the biggest concern regarding LaMelo Ball's fit with the Minnesota Timberwolves has alwaysbeen his ability to handle physicality. At 180 pounds, Ball is very light for someone who is 6-foot-7, and he heavily relies on his perimeter shot-making to score. While I was always in favor of the trade, this remained a concern for me.
A major part of the worry centered around the style of defense that the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder play. Both teams are super physical on the ball and pressure the heck out of ball-handlers. On Saturday night, we'll get our first look at how Ball adjusts to this exact style of defense as the Wolves take on the Spurs.
And with Anthony Edwards being sidelined with a knee injury, the stakes are raised for Ball, and the Spurs will be able to commit to stopping him.
The Spurs will do everything they can to make LaMelo Ball uncomfortable
We've already seen teams test LaMelo's lack of physicality. In the first game without Edwards, the Golden State Warriors pressured Ball and bothered him with their physicality. This led to a 3-for-11 shooting night where Ball also committed six turnovers.
With all due respect to the Warriors, the Spurs are a different beast. Stephon Castle is one of the league's best perimeter defenders; he'll hound Ball all night. Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, and Julian Champagnie are all also physical defenders. How Ball responds to this challenge will determine the Wolves' success, and it will give us a hint at his playoff viability against defenses like this.
Now, if things go poorly, this game doesn't mean that LaMelo can't perform in the playoffs against the Spurs or similar defenses. The context of playing without Ant must be considered. Still, it'll be a red flag if Ball struggles with this style of physical defense.
Unfortunately, there's reason to believe that LaMelo will have a tough time dealing with the Spurs' physicality. Ball isn't a strong finisher, and he doesn't get to the rim a ton either. As such, if you play him super tight, he doesn't have the counters needed to beat you.
This style of defense forces Ball into difficult 3-point shots and limits his effectiveness as a drive-and-kick playmaker. Not only do the Spurs have an elite perimeter defense, but Victor Wembanyama is lurking at the rim. Simply put, they are better positioned than any team to give LaMelo fits.
Ball is a fantastic difficult shot-maker. If there's a path for him to overcome this struggle, it's him knocking down difficult 3-pointers. And if Ball proves he can beat the Spurs' style of coverage with his difficult shot-making, then it will be easy to believe in him in high-leverage moments, especially when Edwards returns.
That won't be easy, though, and without the security of playing alongside an elite creator, things may get ugly for LaMelo. In any event, the Spurs will do whatever it takes to make life difficult for Ball on Sunday, and this will give us a taste of how LaMelo responds to a playoff-like defense.
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