Fans of the New Orleans Pelicans weren’t happy last night when the Pels lost Lonzo Ball to the Bulls then replaced him with Devonte’ Graham.
I can understand this, as Lonzo is probably the better all-around player, the Pelicans essentially got nothing for him, and then had to give up a first-round pick to secure Graham.
It doesn’t appear as if David Griffin has much of a plan, so if you are frustrated with his offseason so far, I can relate.
But for those of us feeling a bit confused and bewildered today, there are some reasons why Devonte’ Graham will ultimately be better for the Pelicans than Lonzo Ball.
Pelicans: Devonte’ Graham and Lonzo Ball put up very similar stats
If you look at the numbers, there isn’t a whole of lot difference between Lonzo Ball and Devonte’ Graham.
Lonzo averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 31 minutes for the Pelicans, who finished outside of the playoffs once again.
Graham’s numbers were 14.8/5.4/2.7 and they both shot over 37 percent from 3-point range on over eight attempts per game.
Graham is a better 3-point shooter and finisher at the rim and Ball is a slightly better passer and rebounder, but otherwise they are pretty much the same guy.
Lonzo Ball has always brought more hype than his play warranted, mostly through his TV show, loud mouth dad and legions of psychotic fans (have fun Bulls’ Twitter!!), but in the end, it’s not like the Pelicans downgraded significantly, especially when you look at other factors.