Los Angeles Lakers guard, Lonzo Ball, recently talked about where he thinks he stands as a defensive player.
With the regular season just days away for the Los Angeles Lakers, anticipation is building for the start of the season. After improving last year, the Lakers are poised to take a big leap with LeBron James now on the team.
While James will help the Lakers win a lot of games this season, other players are going to need to perform in the tough Western Conference. One of the reasons for the Lakers improving last season was because of their commitment to the defensive end of the court.
After being one of the worst defensive teams in the league for the past few years, the Lakers took a nice step forward in that department last season. While most young teams struggle defensively, the Lakers really bought into what Luke Walton was preaching.
The Lakers ended up finished 13th in the NBA in defensive rating, which is a nice jump from them being ranked 30th the year prior. One of the reasons why the Lakers improved on that end was the addition of Lonzo Ball. Despite missing some time, Ball proved that he can be a great defender in the NBA.
Recently Ball spoke with Tania Ganguli of Los Angeles Times about being one of the top defenders on the team. Here’s what he had to say.
"“I think I’m one of the best defenders on the team,” Ball said. “So when you’re guarding some other team’s best players, especially if they are guards, just try to make their jobs as hard as I can.”"
Despite being a rookie, Ball proved right away that he can be an effective player on the defensive end for the Lakers. As a point guard, Ball has excellent size for the position, and his length can be a real problem for opposing guards.
With the Lakers moving toward positionless basketball, Ball is a great weapon to have on defense with his ability to guard multiple positions. The extra muscle that he was able to add on this offseason will really help him when he is switched onto opposing forwards.
After a good rookie season on the defensive end, Ball is certainly one of the best defenders on the team, and might be ready to take another step forward in that category in his second season. With his size and strength as a guard, Ball can become an elite defender in the NBA.