Since being drafted with the second overall pick, Lonzo Ball has been the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.
With the second overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers got the man they believe will be their starting point guard for years to come. Lonzo Ball came out of UCLA with a lot of hype surrounding him, which might have been a bit too much.
So far this season, Ball has had some good moments, but he has also had some tough games. His shooting percentage has been his biggest weakness so far this season, and that has caused people to want to see him moved to the bench.
Despite there being some pressure on Luke Walton to bench Ball, he has started him in every game so far this season. Furthermore, that doesn’t appear like it will be changing anytime soon. Recently, Walton talked with Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times about Ball’s status in the starting lineup. Here’s what he had to say
"“The benefit is he gets the game experience,” Coach Luke Walton said this week. “Whether it’s close games, it’s blowouts, it’s playing against top elite point guards that do different things. John Wall, as good as it gets at getting to the rim, a [Russell] Westbrook, a Steph Curry. So he gets all that in-game experience on the go and gets to learn from it all.”"
Keeping Ball in the starting lineup certainly appears to be the right move for the Lakers. Even though he might not be living up to some peoples lofty expectations, he is averaging 9.0 points, 7.1 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Even though Ball’s shooting numbers have not been good, Ball is capable of doing a lot of other good things on the court. He does an excellent job setting up the offense, even though might not show up on the box score.
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Keep Ball in the starting lineup is certainly important for his development, as he hasn’t played poorly enough to deserve being benched. While Jordan Clarkson has played very well off the bench, he is best-suited to come off the bench as a scorer. Unless something drastically changes, Ball will likely remain in the starting lineup.