In the past six games, the second-year guard’s aggressiveness has spun his influence into a huge positive for the Lakers.
LOS ANGELES — As the Jazz corralled the rebound off his missed layup, Lonzo Ball didn’t skip a beat.
He hung a quick turnaround, then raced back to the other end of the floor, recovering quickly enough to block Jae Crowder, cruising toward the rim, on the other end.
If anybody watching the Lakers’ eventual 90-83 win over the Jazz on Friday night didn’t know yet that Ball was plugged in, they knew it then. The second-year point guard was one of the clear standouts despite just a 9-point, 10-rebound, 2-assist stat line that belied his influence. The Lakers outscored the Jazz by 13 points when he was on the floor.
Even though he shot just 4 for 10, Ball gave a spark to an often listless Laker offense that night, zooming to the rim.
“Well, I’m just faster than a lot of people out there,” he said. “So I can get to the spots. It’s just about finishing.”
Wait – Lonzo Ball saying he’s faster than other players? Is this right?
While his father LaVar Ball may be known for his braggadocious banter, Lonzo has hardly shown any signs of his dad’s gift of gab. He’s quiet by nature, perhaps chatty with his close friends and teammates, but less so on the court. Throughout his season-and-a-half with the Lakers, coaches and fellow players have called on him to be more vocal.
It’s at this delicate stage in his career, as he learns to complement an offense rather than be its focal point, that the Lakers – particularly the veterans on the team – have encouraged him to embrace a more confident version of himself. Maybe a drop of LaVar’s bravado is what he needs to be a more effective player on a winning team.
