Los Angeles Lakers: Three goals for Lonzo Ball in his rookie season

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February 18, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Jordan McLaughlin (11) moves the ball against the defense of UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Defense: Ball Screens/On Ball

The final goal for Ball this season should be to improve on the defensive side. This would help the Lakers immensely and be an added bonus to Ball’s All-Star caliber potential.

While at UCLA, Ball showed he can be a good defender. He had 66 steals which averages out to almost 2.0 steals a game during his college career. Despite that production, there are a few things Ball can do to become an elite defender.

He should set out this season to become more physical on the defensive side of the ball. Ball will need to get better at two areas specifically. The two areas include defending ball screens, and on-ball defense as well.

Ball would tend to lay on ball screens during his time at UCLA, which made guards reject the screens allowing them to get to the basket. Instead of skipping his feet and playing so vertical, he needs to improve on getting no lower while sliding the feet so players don’t have the opportunity to blow by him. Adding a few pounds to his long frame would help in both these areas. I expect Ball to make small adjustments and become a great defender at the next level.

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Can you imagine Ball 6’6″ getting bigger and stronger? Not only would it help defensively, but would add more dimensions to his overall game. Over the next few weeks, it will interesting to see what kind of improvements Ball makes to his game. One thing is for certain, he’s the favorite to bring home rookie of year honors.

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