Los Angeles Lakers center Tyson Chandler is a big fan of point guard, Lonzo Ball.
The Los Angeles Lakers fortunes on the court have turned since the acquisition of Tyson Chandler. Chandler agreed to a buyout with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles was quickly linked as his preferred landing spot.
That eventually came to fruition, and the Lakers have to be happy that it did. Since Chandler arrived in Hollywood, the team is 11-3. Some people will point to their schedule lightening up, which definitely plays a part. The bigger change, however, is their performance on the defensive end.
Chandler has had a hand in the team’s impressive improvement defensive. Prior to Chandler’s arrival, they were a sieve defensively. With him, they have become a top-rated defense in the league.
Chandler isn’t the sole player responsible for the turnaround. Some players, such as Kyle Kuzma, have improved immensely on that end of the court. Another player who has keyed the turnaround is point guard, Lonzo Ball.
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When Ball is discussed, everyone likes to point out his shooting, or lack thereof. Ball lacks aggressiveness offensively at times and is consistent shooting the ball, but that has not stopped him from being a positive player for the team.
Ball’s impact goes well beyond his scoring. He is an elite playmaker and passer and has turned into an asset defensively. Providing that positive impact without needing to score the ball is what has impressed Chandler the most.
Following Wednesday’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Chandler revealed just how much of a fan he was of Lonzo’s game.
"“Lonzo, I think what he’s been doing throughout the year (is impressive),” Chandler told reporters after the game. “Especially of late on this run, picking up full court, getting steals, getting us extra buckets.“With him, he’s one of those guys where scoring doesn’t matter because he impacts the game in so many different ways with his passing, with his defense and just the creativity out there.”"
The workman’s like approach to impacting the game is something that Chandler can certainly appreciate. Chandler’ s approach to the game is the same, as he does whatever it takes to win games.
This season, Chandler is averaging only 3.6 points per game with the Lakers. Ball isn’t averaging many more points, averaging 8.2 per game. Without the glamour stat of scoring, some people may dismiss the impact that these two players have on the game for the Lakers. However, anyone watching knows that the team would not be finding this level of success without them.
Chandler and Ball do a lot of the dirty work and little things on the court that don’t necessarily show up in the box score. However, they do have some bright spots on the stat sheet.
It will take more than LeBron James for the Lakers to compete. Chandler understands that, as he has been a part of an NBA Championship team. He knows what it takes as much as anyone, and recognizing that Ball is more a part of the solution than some people give him credit for is nice to hear.