New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is trying to follow in the footsteps of Brandon Ingram in 2020-21.
Ball, who made headlines on Monday by switching agencies again and joining Klutch Sports, said he wants to win the 2021 Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
Ingram, of course, won the award this season.
“Once we get in the playoffs, we take it one game at a time,” Ball told Malika Andrews of ESPN. “For myself, I think Most Improved Player is definitely something I can get next year.”
The Pelicans missed the playoffs in 2019-20 after playing terribly in the seeding games at Walt Disney World. New Orleans fired head coach Alvin Gentry, so Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram will be playing for their third head coach next season since entering the NBA.
Ball appeared in 63 games for New Orleans in 2019-20. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 11.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.0 assists a night while shooting 40.3 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from beyond the arc and 56.6 percent from the free-throw line.
While the Pelicans were pleased to see Ball improve his shooting splits, the former Los Angeles Lakers guard has a long way to go before he can call himself an average shooter in the NBA.
Point guards in the league are supposed to be the team's best free-throw shooters. With that being said, Ball has to get his free-throw percentage up.
Thus far, the Pelicans have been linked with Tyronn Lue and Mike D'Antoni in terms of potential replacements for Gentry. It's going to be fascinating to see who Executive VP David Griffin interviews and eventually hires.
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