Following Wednesday night’s atrocious loss to the Denver Nuggets, whom were also short four players surely stirred up quite the argument. Though Lonzo was not on the floor, his absence spoke volumes for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers were dismantled by the Denver Nuggets 122-104. With that being said, Lonzo’s presence on the court is a must for this Lakers squad to truly compete heading into the regular season.
When Lonzo is not on the floor, lack of ball movement is evident. However, when he is on the floor unselfishness is a focal point only to be ceased when one on one play begins to develop.
My initial prediction of Lonzo Ball translating his game from Summer League competition to high caliber NBA talent should be seamless, or so I thought.
I envisioned the likes of Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson being the beneficiaries of Lonzo Ball’s ability to get them the rock exactly where they need it. Unfortunately all I’ve seen is too much ISO ball and poor shot selection with the clock winding down.
The talent surrounding Lonzo is surely there and then some, if Clarkson, Randle and Ingram reduce isolation play or at least tone it down within the system, those three will certainly score in bunches.
Nevertheless, I am impressed with Brandon Ingram’s new found aggressiveness and initiative to take on the leadership role. However, Ingram could thrive even more by being patient and taking higher percentage shots. And this should resonate with the rest of the roster as well.
I do believe Ball is surrounded by the right personnel, though they will have to adjust sooner than later, fortunately it is quite early but once the regular season is underway, there is no time for the sloppy play that has recently been showcased.
Next: 4 Training camp battles to watch
The Lakers’ next preseason game will be on Sunday against the Sacramento Kings. Hopefully, we will see the Lakers’ projected starting lineup all playing for the first time in the preseason.