In the past six games, the second-year guard\u2019s aggressiveness has spun his influence into a huge positive for the Lakers.<\/b>
\nLOS ANGELES \u2014 As the Jazz corralled the rebound off his missed layup, Lonzo Ball didn\u2019t 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\u2019 eventual 90-83 win over the Jazz on Friday night didn\u2019t 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.
\u201cWell, I\u2019m just faster than a lot of people out there,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I can get to the spots. It\u2019s just about finishing.\u201d
Wait \u2013 Lonzo Ball saying he\u2019s 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\u2019s gift of gab. He\u2019s 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\u2019s at this delicate stage in his career, as he learns to complement an offense rather than be its focal point, that the Lakers \u2013 particularly the veterans on the team \u2013 have encouraged him to embrace a more confident version of himself. Maybe a drop of LaVar\u2019s bravado is what he needs to be a more effective player on a winning team.
\u201cI think he just sometimes he doesn\u2019t realize how great he is, the things that he possesses out on the floor,\u201d LeBron James said. \u201cWhen \u2018Zo realizes how good he is on the floor, it makes him a very dynamic player and it makes us even better.\u201d
Of all the returning Lakers, perhaps no one has been asked to shift his role more than Ball. While Ball still often acts as the point guard for the team, James has the ball in his hands often as well. That has meant more off-ball action for Ball, who cited his experience at UCLA as a basis for finding his way this year.
But in practice, it has been more difficult to execute. Luke Walton has acknowledged as much after a handful of games in which Ball has been more wallflower than active participant.
And yet lately, something has gotten into Ball: His activity has increased, and he\u2019s running the floor harder and more often. While he\u2019s still struggled to shoot (just 36.8 percent from the floor this year), Ball has seen his rebound and assist numbers rise in the past six games, and he\u2019s been an active part of the team defense. While his season-long net rating is still negative, in the past six games, he trails only James in net rating (plus-9.7) when he\u2019s on the floor.
There\u2019s a slightly intangible quality (at least statistically) to how Ball\u2019s play positively influences the Lakers. He makes smart passes that aren\u2019t always assists. He knows how to set smart screens that open the floor for others to drive to the hoop. He pushes the ball in transition, which helps break defenses down and opens up shots for others, or gives his teammates a chance to make putback attempts on his own misses. He plays scrappy defense, and while it doesn\u2019t always mean he gets steals, he can create opportunities for stops or turnovers with his quickness and fast hands.
That\u2019s why many people on the team, including Walton and James, say it doesn\u2019t matter when Ball misses shots at the rim. The aggressiveness is something they want to encourage.
\u201cHe missed a couple of \u2019em, that\u2019s absolutely fine,\u201d James said. \u201cHe had a couple charges, that\u2019s absolutely fine. When he\u2019s aggressive, it just changes our dynamic of the team, and he\u2019s been doing it of late and we need him to continue to do that because he\u2019s very good.\u201d
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James said he realized how to balance his roles as a scorer and distributor in high school, but not everyone is on the LeBron James learning curve. Still, Ball is just 21 years old, and as James pointed out, not even a full 82 games into his NBA career (he played only 52 as a rookie). These things, he said, take time.
Ball might just be getting it. He\u2019s acknowledged that he understands he plays better when he\u2019s aggressively and trying to get to the rim, and if he starts getting passive, James, Walton, Rajon Rondo and the rest of the Lakers will let him know.
\u201cGreat coaching staff, great teammates \u2013 they always are on me,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t let me slack off, take no plays off, and I appreciate them for that.\u201d<\/p>\n