Los Angeles Lakers: LaVar Ball says Lonzo Ball can’t really play off ball
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball is not suited to play off the ball according to his father, LaVar Ball.
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball had a good, albeit not great, rookie season. Ball performed well while on the court but appeared in only 52 games because of a multitude of injuries.
While some people will point out his poor shooting numbers as an indicator of a poor season, that is not the case. Yes, Ball struggled shooting, making only 36 percent of his shots, 30.5 percent from the 3-point line and 45.1 percent from the foul line. His jump shot may not have fallen, but he did well in virtually every other facet of the game.
When you have the pressure on you that Ball had as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft it is difficult enough to perform. When your father is LaVar Ball, there are even more expectations. Despite that, Lonzo played well overall.
Ball played much better defense than anyone thought he would. He led the Lakers with 1.7 steals per game, adding 0.8 blocks. Ball also rebounds very well for a point guard, pulling down 6.9 per game.
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Where Ball really shines is as a playmaker. Ball likes to get his teammates involved and has great court vision. It led to him averaging 7.2 assists per game, a great number for anyone, let alone a rookie.
That passing and playmaking are what separates Ball from other players. He makes everyone around him better as he likes passing and getting the ball to his teammates in a position for them to score.
Ball has supreme confidence in his game. Despite struggling with his shot, he was still willing to let it fly. That confidence is something good to have, and a reason why some people believe Ball could thrive off the ball as well. Don’t count LaVar as one of the people that believe Lonzo can excel off the ball.
During a recent interview with ESPN Radio in Los Angeles, LaVar was asked to give a scouting report on each of his sons. He believes that Lonzo is best suited to play point guard, not slide over to play the 2-guard.
"“Lonzo really can’t play the two on the fact that he wants to get everybody involved,” LaVar said. “So when the ball is passed to him, instead of just shooting it, he’s going to look for a cutter, and that’s too long. You shouldn’t do that. You should be ready to just shoot.”"
LaVar is known for his outlandish claims, such as when he said his son was better than Kawhi Leonard last week. However, this time, his assessment is a pretty fair one.
Lonzo’s best attribute, at this time, is his passing ability. Taking the ball out of his hands would seem counteractive to him growing and succeeding. However, Ball expanding his game to be able to play off the ball could make the Lakers a more dangerous team.
If Lonzo played off-ball more, his shooting percentage could increase. Per NBA.com, the longer that Lonzo had the ball in his hands, the less efficient he became. His true shooting percentage dropped the longer the ball was in his hands.
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The more versatile that Ball and his teammates become, the better the offense will flow. The Lakers are hoping that Ball becomes more aggressive next season, and this would be a step in the right direction to achieving that.