If you’re reading this and you’re an NBA fan, you probably know who Lonzo Ball is. Hardcore fans have watched him play countless times, but he seems like a different player now. The Los Angeles Lakers guard does not look like the highly-touted prospect who raked at UCLA just a few months ago. He looks out of confidence and his shooting stroke is just not working.
For Ball, there are four words that could elaborate what he is going through. If we look at him, it’s easy to say “the struggle is real”. Because that’s exactly what is going on with the talented rookie. He’s struggling to get things going and hasn’t been able to lead the Lakers in the first year as a pro as many thought he would.
Head-scratching turnovers, bad shooting performances, and sub-par defense have hurt him so far. Ball acknowledged his struggles but said these are solely mental. He said his game is where he wants it to be and that there’s nothing wrong with his shot, although he did admit he needs to be more aggressive scoring.
There is plenty of time for Lonzo to right the ship. He’s young, and he’s probably still adjusting to the pace of the NBA. But if we look at his numbers, we can see he is also struggling with his consistency. One day he looks like the next big thing in the NBA, and the next one he looks like a player who could use a week or two in the G-League just to get his groove back.
The evidence doesn’t lie. We have seen Ball finish with a line of 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists against the Phoenix Suns…
…only to see him go scoreless with just three rebounds and four assists roughly two weeks later.
Ball has only topped the 10-point mark twice in 11 NBA games, but his averages look decent on paper. He’s currently averaging 8.8 points, 6.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. On the surface that looks good, but his percentages are quite bad. He’s hitting 29.5 percent from the field, 23.1 from three-point range, and 53.8 percent from the charity stripe.
Needless to say, that’s not good for a point guard. And while many could start talking about his mechanics, who is anyone to criticise other players for the way he shoots? Shawn Marion had a pretty decent career with an ugly shot. And Ball has ALWAYS shot the same way. He’s not going to change it overnight simply because the shots aren’t falling anymore.
In the end, we can admit his shot is part of the problem, but all signs indicate this is a mental thing. And as soon as he can get out of this funk, the better for both him and the Lakers. He has shown enough talent to prove he can be a star sooner than later. But Ball needs to believe in himself. Otherwise, he might be at risk of becoming just another rookie who couldn’t make the jump to the pros.