LaMelo: 27.5 min/game post-Nov
Charlotte carefully limited LaMelo to just 27.5 minutes per game from mid-November onward, almost as if they already knew they'd trade him.
Snapshot · The Bill Simmons Podcast
A Crazy NBA Month With Zach Lowe, Plus Taylor Sheridan on Building a TV Empire and the Problems With Hollywood
Explore episode
Jun 29, 2026
Where this was said
LaMelo Ball traded to the Wolves
At 36:36 · chapter starts 34:29
The LaMelo Ball trade to Minnesota triggers one of Simmons' most emphatic takes of the episode. He'd never have done it — LaMelo has played just 9,400 minutes across 6 seasons with zero playoff appearances, putting him in historically rare company alongside Ja Morant and Zion Williamson as high-usage scorers who simply don't play [1] — Bill Simmons "This is a jersey-selling, Twitch-moment trade for fans under 25. LaMelo has played just 9,400 minutes in 6 seasons with zero playoff appear…" 35:00 . Charlotte was clearly managing his minutes all year (27.5 per game from mid-November onward), almost as though they knew a trade was coming. For Minnesota, Simmons sees a franchise chasing its own tail — from the Gobert trade that made the KAT deal inevitable, to the Randle dump, to this Hail Mary for a guard who may never hold up for a 37-minute playoff game. Lowe is more generous, grading it a B for both teams and arguing that in isolation — without factoring in the Randle trade and the asset depletion context — it's not an outrageous price for a player of LaMelo's ceiling. Both agree, however, that the real test isn't the regular season: it's April and May, when LaMelo will need to be a different player against the physicality of OKC and San Antonio.
The LaMelo Ball Trade: A 2K Video Game Move
This is a jersey-selling, Twitch-moment trade for fans under 25. LaMelo has played just 9,400 minutes in 6 seasons with zero playoff appearances. Minnesota just bet Anthony Edwards' prime on a guy who might never play a full season.
LaMelo: 9,400 min, 0 playoff games
In 6 seasons, LaMelo Ball has played just 9,400 minutes and zero playoff games, making him one of the least durable good guards of the last 25 years.
Minnesota: no 1st-round pick for 7 years
Following the LaMelo trade, Minnesota doesn't control their own first-round pick for 7 years, a staggering asset cost.
Io contract: 5 years, $112M
Minnesota signed Ioannidis (Io) to a 5-year, $112 million deal, surprising given he was traded for a second-round pick just months earlier.
The Gobert Trade: Did Minnesota Sacrifice Too Much?
Every Minnesota problem traces back to the Gobert trade. It robbed them of assets, made the Towns deal inevitable, and led to a chain of moves chasing their own tail. Two conference finals later, it's still not clear they didn't overpay.
Similar snapshots
CrossFit athlete: top 2,000 worldwide
Thomas's wife is already ranked in the top 2,000 CrossFit athletes in the world — roughly the top 1% — and Thomas wants her to pursue the sport professionally now that he is graduating law school.
Athletes improve with mental rehearsal
Research shows athletes who mentally imagine practicing basketball or soccer have better performance than those who do not include imagination in their training.
~10 rounds dominated vs Usyk
Rico Verhoeven dominated approximately 10 of 12 rounds against undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk before a controversial post-bell stoppage.
Stopped after the bell
Rico's appeal confirmed the fight was stopped after the bell rang, and the ringside doctor found no concussion or disorientation — yet the result was never overturned.
Glory uses 5 judges vs boxing's 3
Glory Kickboxing uses 5 judges rather than boxing's 3, which Joe Rogan argues reduces the chance of a corrupt or incompetent minority swinging the result.
1 professional boxing match before Usyk
Rico Verhoeven had only one professional boxing match before fighting undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk for the WBC title.
15 years of boxing training
Despite having just one pro boxing match, Rico Verhoeven had been training boxing for 15 years alongside his kickboxing career.
6-month boxing transition camp
Rico used a full 6 months to transition from kickboxing stance to a proper boxing stance under trainer Peter Fury, calling it essential rewiring.
75+ kickboxing fights in career
Rico Verhoeven has had approximately 75 professional kickboxing fights, giving him a massive combat sports experience advantage over pure boxers.
