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Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball has shown versatility over past few games

By Jason Renner

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 19, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Indiana Pacers in the first half of a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 19, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball is struggling with his shot, but his versatility has still been on display.

The Los Angeles Lakers came from behind on Saturday night to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies. After falling behind big in the first half due to uninspired play, the Lakers fought back. Big performances from Julius Randle and Kyle Kuzma helped lift the Lakers in the final minutes.

As these players dominated in the second half, rookie point guard Lonzo Ball silently collected a near triple-double. Despite poor shooting, Ball posted 12 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.

Lonzo Ball’s versatility is what Lakers fans imagined when he was selected No. 2 overall in the 2017 NBA Draft. The young L.A. native has shown that he can still contribute without scoring.

Lonzo’s offense, particularly his shooting, has been a major issue this season. After spending one season at UCLA and shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from deep, Lonzo has failed to even come close to those numbers in his rookie season.

Despite the NBA’s 3-point line being further from the basket, it’s hard to think of another player in recent memory who has seen such a drastic dip in their shooting percentages, especially from distance. According to Basketball-Reference, this season Lonzo is shooting 35.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from deep.

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Even for shots that are of equal distance in the NBA, like a free throw, Lonzo still hasn’t been able to produce at his collegiate level. Lonzo shot a meager 67.3 percent from the charity stripe for UCLA, per Sports Reference. This is by no means a good free throw percentage for an elite college point guard. Though, somehow Lonzo has managed to shoot it worse in the NBA.

So far in his rookie season, he is shooting 44.9 percent from the line. With this percentage, Lonzo is shooting a lower percentage from the line than notoriously awful free shooters like Dwight Howard (56.7 percent) and DeAndre Jordan (61.4 percent) are this season.

This is not the company Lonzo wants to be in. So why is he still heralded as one of the Lakers best pieces? Because besides his inability to get buckets, he does just about everything else well. His performance against the Grizzlies is indicative of that.

Whenever Lonzo sees his shot not working in the early stages of the game, he looks to impact other areas. He crashes the boards hard to get rebounds, constantly looks up the floor for open teammates and stays active with his hands in the passing lanes. This has led to impressive stats for a rookie.

On the season, Lonzo is averaging 7.0 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. According to NBA Stats, Lonzo is eighth in the league for assists and second among all rookies. In terms of rebounds, Lonzo is third among all point guards and fourth among rookies, per ESPN Statistics.

These are impressive stats for a rookie player. They are also evidence that Lonzo is everything that the Lakers believed him to be. An all-around player. A proto-Magic.

On any given night, Lonzo Ball is a threat to get a triple-double. Over his last 6 games, Ball has averaged 7.5 rebounds and 9 assists. The versatility in Lonzo Ball’s game is clearly there. He is a special talent that, once he develops, will be a huge asset for a future Lakers contender.

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Fans must stay patient as he figures out how to fix his terrible shooting. As long as he continues to thrive in other areas of the game, fans should be able to continue to give him a pass. Hopefully, Lonzo Ball’s versatility will help him become a triple-double fixture similar to Rajon Rondo.

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