Lonzo Ball has really struggled to score the ball during his time in the NBA, but he has found other ways to help out the Los Angeles Lakers. His assist and rebounding totals are pretty good for a rookie point guard, and as is usually the case with young floor generals, you can see that he’s becoming more and more comfortable around his teammates.
One such example of that came on Thursday night when the Lakers took down the Sixers in Philadelphia, 107-104. Ball fired a pass to a wide open Brandon Ingram for a game-winning three. It was the type of play that comes when you know where to find your teammate and where you need to put the ball for them to succeed.
The play happened because Ball insisted on pushing the ball up the floor and playing fast on the Lakers’ final possession. For Magic Johnson, that is the kind of thing that Ball should look to do on a nightly basis, and he tweeted this belief after the game.
Lonzo Ball's pace of play was great tonight against the Sixers. He needs to play fast every single night.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) December 8, 2017
Ball is at his best when he’s getting the chance to run and make plays in the open court, especially in situations where he’s able to draw defenders away from his teammates and can set them up for a shot. For whatever flaws he has as a shooter, Ball’s best assets have always been his passing, court vision, and basketball IQ, all of which he gets to show off when he’s playing faster and being asked to make decisions in a split second.
Johnson’s advice is spot on, and is something that Ball will almost certainly take to heart. Partly because Johnson is his boss and he has to, but mostly because if you’re going to take advice on playing point guard from anyone, you it might as well come from one of the best to ever play the game.
