Lonzo Ball still needs to prove he can bounce back from bad games. But the Lakers rookie sure knows how to rebound.
Lonzo Ball still needs to prove he can bounce back from bad games.
But the Lakers rookie sure knows how to rebound.
Ball had his second triple-double Sunday against Denver, pulling down 16 boards in the 127-109 victory. That’s the most rebounds by any rookie this season, and the most by a rookie guard since Steve Francis had 17 for Houston in 2000.
“I try to focus on rebounding for most of the game, just because I know I can go up there and get it,” Ball told reporters this week. “Coaches tell me, ‘Go get the rebound,’ so that’s what I try to do. If my shot’s not falling, it’s just another category I can fill up.”
He said he’s been paying special attention to that part of his game since he was a kid.
“I was kind of forced to rebound at a young age,” he said, “because I was usually at the back of a 2-3 zone because my brothers were smaller than me, so I usually got most of the rebounds.”
Lakers coach Luke Walton said the coaching staff has given Ball the green light to crash the glass, as long as he gets back in transition when he needs to.
“His ability to rebound comes from, one, his desire to win because he’s relentless there, and two, from his ability to anticipate where balls are going,” Walton said. “There’s even sometimes you’ll see him where he knows he won’t be able to get to the rebound, so he’ll position himself to be able to strip somebody when they’re coming down with the rebound. He just has a great feel for where he needs to be on the court.”
Healing hand
Walton said he’s targeting Monday for the return of forward Larry Nance Jr., who is ahead of schedule for his recovery from a broken bone in his hand. He might have come back earlier, but he had a wisdom tooth removed this week.
“He was going to get some practice time in with the G-league team, but because of this wisdom tooth thing I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” Walton said. “But we have plenty of time now to get him back and get him going again. As long as there’s no setbacks, he should be back soon.”
On the Markk
The Chicago Bulls are getting impressive production out of rookie Lauri Markkanen, a 7-foot forward with a deft touch from beyond the three-point arc. The No. 7 overall pick is averaging 2.6 three-pointers per game, by far the most among rookies. That’s in keeping with what he did in his lone year at Arizona, when he was the only player in the Pac-12 Conference to rank in the top 12 in scoring, rebounding, free-throw percentage and three-point percentage.
“He’s really good,” said Walton, a fellow Arizona alumnus. “One, he’s obviously an intelligent player because he went to U of A, so he makes good decisions. But it’s impressive for a rookie to be able to put up numbers like he’s putting up right now. The NBA three normally takes a little bit of time to get used to, and he’s shooting that thing pretty well and consistent right now.”
