2. Lonzo Ball
This year Lonzo Ball’s assists are down from his 7.2 in his rookie season to 4.7. The biggest reason for that major drop is because of the arrival James and Rondo, who were both in the top-6 in assists last season.
It is no coincidence that in his first game without those two guys that like to have the ball in their hands, he had his most assists of the season. Against one of his biggest rivals, De’Aaron Fox, he went off for a whopping 12 assists and 20 points looking like a player that deserved to be a number two overall pick.
Most importantly, Ball looked in control of the pace of the game for one of the first times this season. He also filled up the stat sheet, falling one rebound short of his fourth triple-double of his career and second of the season.
Ball has already been the Lakers best perimeter defender this season, but now he is going to have to match that production on offense. He is off to a tremendous start by going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first game since the injuries.
Getting through these next few games without James and Rondo is going to be tough, so Lonzo is going to have to continue to play well and get his teammates involved if the Lakers want to remain competitive.
Despite his exceptional performance against the Kings, it was still concerning seeing Lonzo go down multiple times because of cramping in his lower leg. His durability has been a big issue during his Laker career and he really needs to be available while their other two playmakers are sidelined with ailments.