Los Angeles Lakers: Projecting their rotation with Paul George
By Matt Leaman
PG – Lonzo Ball
Highly criticized because of his loud outgoing father, Lonzo Ball, had a great freshman campaign at UCLA where he averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 6.0 rebounds a game. The main advantage to Ball’s game is his physical frame at 6’6″ weighing 190 pounds. His strengths include passing, rebounding, and his shooting despite his unorthodox shot.
During his only season at UCLA, Ball always looked to get his teammates involved first in which he will be asked to do with the Lakers also. With his height, he can see over the defense and create offense. Out of all PG’s in this year’s draft, he has the best vision. This vision combined with the opportunity to work with one of the best guards of all-time, Magic Johnson, creates a lot of excitement as to how special Ball could be as a player.
To continue, Ball also managed a 55% field goal percentage to go along with his deadly passing skills. He shot 73 percent from two point range, and 41 percent from three. If he’s able to perform at this level in the NBA, Ball would be on pace to average 16.6 pts, 8.0 assists, and 7.0 rebounds per 40 minutes.
In addition to Ball’s offensive skills, he is good on the other end of the court as well. At UCLA he averaged almost two steals a game. His big physical frame will create havoc for some of the smaller guards he will face. Look for him to improve his defense and become one of the better defenders in the league. Lakers have a huge need for a guard who can play both ends of the court at a high level, and Lonzo Ball will fit this role perfectly.