When LeBron James joined the Lakers last summer, one of the biggest questions was just how well its current roster of young talent would fit around him. It’s been a mixed bag so far, to say the least. Some of that has to do with the suddenly overwhelming pressure that goes with simply playing on a LeBron-led team.
But some of it also stems from some very real concerns regarding how all the pieces fit together. Lonzo Ball, of course, remains at the center of all this, in no small measure because of his struggles as an outside shooter. Perhaps more troubling, though, is that the organization and those playing alongside him see as a certain passivity to his game.
Naturally, everyone has to defer to LeBron to some degree, but if the Lakers are going to meet their goal of making the postseason this year, Lonzo will have to put forth a more consistent effort and make more of an impact on a nightly basis than has been the case of late. Just ask his teammates, who though pleased by his strong performance in LeBron’s return to Cleveland on Wednesday wish they could see more of that version of Ball more often.
“It was huge,” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said. “We always talk about him being aggressive. He’s always so passive. You want an unselfish point guard, but we need him to come in and score. Him coming downhill in transition where he’s at his best really helped us in this game.”
Rajon Rondo has been on Ball to play with more of an edge. The veteran point guard wants Ball to play angrier in hopes of getting him to play more aggressively, rebound and attack from rim to rim, and use his height inside against smaller point guards.
James also has encouraged Ball to not worry about his 3-point shot and to be aggressive.
Ball finished with 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting in Cleveland, grabbed seven boards, and dished out six assists in L.A.’s win, a stark contrast after he’d gone 1-for-11 to start their road trip and was held scoreless against the Magic.
Amid their slow start, and pressure from management to start winning games, the Lakers have already added a vet in Tyson Chandler, and it’s likely they aren’t done making moves this season. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Ball or any of the other young players are fighting for their place on the team, but there certainly is significantly more pressure to improve and start showing some consistency.
(Via ESPN)
