Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball eyes opportunity following suspensions

After the suspension of Rajon Rondo for the Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball is ready to seize the opportunity.

With almost a week of regular-season NBA basketball completed, the Los Angeles Lakers stand at 0-2. Following a tough road loss in Portland, the Lakers fell short again against the Rockets. However, the loss was certainly overshadowed by the fight that broke out late in the fourth quarter.

Following the fight, the NBA announced suspension for Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram. Rondo and Ingram face suspensions of three and four games, respectively. While this was certainly avoidable, the suspensions do present an opportunity for Luke Walton to tweak his lineup. One of the easiest adjustments would be inserting Lonzo Ball into the starting lineup.

With Rondo starting games for the Lakers, Ball has seen limited minutes. Per NBA.com, Ball averaged 34.2 minutes in his rookie campaign. With precautions placed on him because of returning from a knee surgery, as well as coming off the bench, Ball has been limited to 23 minutes per game thus far this season. With Rondo out for three games, Ball will see increased minutes at the point.

Rondo’s suspension should be a good thing for Lonzo. Having only played four total games since his return, Ball has yet to establish a true rhythm on court. He has been tentative at times and largely not involved on offense. However, he began to show some flashes of his true form against the Rockets.

Ball displayed his shooting stroke against the Rockets, going 4-8 from deep. According to NBA.com, Ball scored 14 points on the night and shot .500 overall. Despite the strong shooting performance, Ball ended up with a -11 in the box score.

For Ball to capitalize on this strong shooting performance, and to improve within the team’s defensive system, he will need to see more playing time to adjust back to the pace of the game. With Rondo out and limited depth at the point guard, Lonzo will see the bulk of minutes.

Lonzo was drafted 2nd overall in 2017 for a reason. Though Rondo has been serviceable so far this season, Lonzo is our point guard for the future. Rondo’s mentorship will be important for Lonzo, but without major minutes, Lonzo won’t be able to take that jump in his second year.

The balancing act for the Lakers front office between a win-now and development culture will be tough. Though, Rondo’s suspension provides the team a short-window to evaluate Ball’s play with increased minutes and starts at the point guard position.

If Ball is going to be the player the Lakers hoped for when they drafted him, he needs major minutes now to adjust to playing with new teammate LeBron James.