Los Angeles Lakers want to see a more selfish Lonzo Ball
The Los Angeles Lakers would like to see point guard Lonzo Ball become more selfish next season.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball came into the league with a lot of hype surrounding him. A lot of that hype was courtesy of his outspoken father, LaVar Ball. Along with that hype, there also came a lot of negativity and vitriol dislike for Ball.
Ball didn’t let any of that impact him on the court. Ball has been dealing with his outspoken father for years, so this was no different. He just did his thing on the court, doing what he could to help his team win games.
Ball showcased his playmaking and passing talents whenever he was on the court. Given his size, as he is 6’6″, Ball can see over most of the players who are defending against him. His anticipation and vision on offense are special.
On the season, Ball averaged 7.2 assists to go along with 6.9 rebounds. He also got the job done defensively, averaging 1.7 steals per game, as his size and length aided him there, too. Ball wasn’t regarded as a strong defender coming out of UCLA, but he more than held his own.
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The assists and steals per game both led the Lakers on the season. However, for all the success Ball saw as a playmaker and defensively, he failed shooting and scoring the ball.
Coming into the NBA, there were plenty of questions surrounding Ball’s shooting form. It is unorthodox, to say the least. Anyone who was skeptical of his shooting form was proven right, at least for one season.
Ball’s shot wasn’t falling anywhere. He shot 36 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from the 3-point line and 45.1 percent from the foul line. Ball’s overreliance on his 3-point shot is a major reason for his low shooting percentages.
Ball is a confident player, so if teams are going to let him shoot the ball, he is going to let it fly. 52.3 percent of Ball’s shot attempts came from behind the 3-point line in his rookie season.
The Lakers brain trust of Luke Walton, Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka all agreed, along with Ball, that they would not change his shot this offseason. However, one thing they want to see change is Ball’s selfishness offensively.
"“I want him to be a little more selfish next season, because Lonzo can score,” Johnson said. “I don’t need him to score a lot of points, what I’m saying is when you attack, the defense is now playing him for the pass.“So when he’s driving to the basket he’s got to go in with the thought of scoring. Once he starts doing that, it’s going to change how they defend him at the rim.”"
How often do you think basketball players are told to shoot the ball more? A green light is something every basketball player dreams of having. This past season, five players averaged more shots per game than Ball did. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope tied him with 10.8 attempts per game, while Brook Lopez wasn’t far behind at 10.7.
There were times this season that Ball would break down his man, get to the lane an immediately look to kick it out to a teammate. You like seeing your point guard trying to get his teammates involved, but you’d also like to see him be a threat around the basket.
Ball attempted only 206 shots this season from within 10 feet of the basket. That is a number the Lakers would undoubtedly like to see go up. It would create easier scoring opportunities for Ball. Sometimes to get your shot going you just have to see the ball go through the basket.
A reason for Ball’s hesitancy around the basket could be his free throw woes. If he is able to improve that facet of his game, we could see him attack the basket a little more. Ball is sometimes leaving easy points on the board not taking shots at the rim.
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It is something he will have to work on this offseason. Developing that scoring mentality isn’t an easy thing to do, as Ball is much more comfortable being a facilitator. The Lakers don’t want him to lose that aspect of his game, they just want to see him become a little more selfish and hunt for his own shot a little more often.