2. Lonzo Ball is exactly the kind of point guard you need
So I am going to go on my defending Lonzo Ball tangent here and if you are not a fan of Ball then nothing I say is going to change what you think. However, while he has not been great, he has legitimate signs of being one of the most well-rounded point guards in the league.
Heck, he averaged 10-7-7 in his rookie year and his shot was finally starting to improve last season before taking another step back in 2021. He just has not been in the right situation with other ball-dominant players.
Now, you may be asking: how would Lonzo Ball be a good fit on the Lakers with the ball-dominant LeBron James? We have seen this before, right?
We have, but Ball’s role will be different this time. I actually envision Ball as the sixth man on this Lakers team, being a much better version of what Rajon Rondo was to last year’s Lakers. He is undoubtedly a better defensive player, is a better shooter than Rondo and has showcased that he has generational passing ability.
Lonzo playing 25 minutes off the bench in place of Schroder is a really solid trade off. The Lakers can give more minutes to guards who do not need the ball in their hands to succeed, such as Alex Caruso.
This opens the door for Caruso to bring his elite defense to the starting lineup and allows LeBron to continue running the ship. Then, as LeBron sits and naturally takes a lesser role with his age, the team will have Lonzo to orchestrate.
Just imagine the defensive presence of Lonzo Ball and Talen Horton-Tucker in the backcourt. That is a long backcourt that would absolutely fluster opposing teams’ depth guards.