Lonzo Ball is a borderline elite defender
There were significant concerns regarding Lonzo Ball’s defense coming out of UCLA.
Scout’s complained that Lonzo seemed disinterested on that end of the floor and that he would struggle hugely in the NBA due to his lack of polish on the defensive end.
They looked at the running and gunning Chino Hills team in which he played alongside his brothers LaMelo and Li’Angelo and seemed to jump to conclusions that the Ball brothers only play on one side of the ball.
From his rookie year, Lonzo proved everyone wrong.
Right off the bat, Lonzo was an excellent defender. With his excellent lateral quickness, to go along with his elite length and size for a point guard, he was able to be effective from day one.
He has continued to improve each and every season. His ability to anticipate steals and jump the passing lane is borderline elite.
While he isn’t a Chris Paul-level pickpocket, he does average a very healthy 1.5SPG over the course of his career. Lonzo is still only 23 years old so he has plenty of time to improve even further.
His ability to defend multiple positions at a high level makes him a valuable piece to any team.
Head Coach Frank Vogel has gotten the best defensively out of many a player. It would be very interesting to see if Vogel could get even more out of Lonzo defensively.
Under Vogel, it is possible that Lonzo could make the jump from borderline elite defender to potential All-Defensive team caliber.
If the Lakers can land Lonzo Ball and keep Alex Caruso, they would have two borderline elite guard defenders who can guard multiple positions.
Defense wins championships and Lonzo Ball and his well-rounded skill set allow the Lakers a real chance to improve significantly.
He also gives them a young building block to put beside Anthony Davis long-term.