NBA
Flip the Switch: How Lonzo Ball Can Become an All-Star
Lonzo Ball's stock has fallen, but here's how he can flip a switch to become a household name
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After a disappointing two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball was shipped out to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis blockbuster trade. So far he’s failed to live up to his No. 2 overall selection, as he admitted, but opportunity awaits in the Big Easy. Here’s how he can flip the switch and reach the All-Star ceiling he showed during his career at UCLA, and at times with the Lakers.
First and foremost, Lonzo Ball has to become a better shooter. From everywhere. In the modern NBA, a player that can’t stretch the floor will always have offensive limitations, no matter how talented they are at the other aspects of the game (Ben Simmons has entered the chat). Ranked last among guards in seconds per touch, Ball is by no means a ball-dominant player. Playing off-ball is crucial to his long-term success, yet he shot 47.7 EFG% on catch and shoot situations last season. That’s worse than Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Knox and Andrew Wiggins – all notoriously inefficient players.
He has to change his unorthodox shooting form, namely by not bringing the ball across his face, which blocks his vision of the hoop. A great place to start is at the free throw line, where he’s a horrendous 44% career shooter. Get the reps in at the line, and slowly expand it to the three-point line. It’s the key to unlocking the playmaking and attacking aspects of his game that could elevate him to an All-Star level player. Considering he shot 67% FT & 41% 3P at UCLA, Ball is clearly capable of being more efficient, and a new shooting form will certainly help.
What do you think of Lonzo Ball’s new shooting form? 👀#NBATwitter #NBA #Pelicans pic.twitter.com/pyffCHgtOU
— Pelicans Nation (@PelsNationCP) October 2, 2019
Last season, Lonzo Ball made 60% of his shots within 0-3 feet of the basket. That’s excellent efficiency, but less impressive when you consider he only took 31% of his shots from that area. Ball drove the ball five times per game last season (still not enough), but passed out of those situations 51% of the time. As a pass-first player it’s understandable, but he’s easier to defend once the opposition begins to anticipate it. It’s no wonder he ranked 11th worst in turnover percentage among 126 qualified players.
He needs to take advantage of the length and strength he has on opposing point guards and take more shots at the rim, even if it means sacrificing efficiency for effectiveness. By becoming a consistent scoring threat from the rip to the paint, passing lanes will widen. From there, Ball’s got the vision to do the rest.
Lonzo Ball isn’t the kind of player to dribble the air out of the basketball. He gives the rock up quick and for a young Pelicans team that wants to run, he fits perfectly. With Zion and Jaxson Hayes on the roster, however, heavy doses of pick and roll are inevitable. This brings to light one of Lonzo’s biggest weaknesses. He ranked in the 21st percentile as a pick and roll ball handler, turned the ball over 18% of the time and was fifth-worst of 106 qualified players in points per possession.
He’s shown flashes with mind-boggling hook passes and hesitations, but can’t execute the actions on a consistent basis. It all circles back to his shooting; opponents sag off and crowd the roll man because they don’t respect Lonzo’s shot, creating tighter windows and lower percentage opportunities. He’s got the transition part of his game down, but All-Star level point guards can control the game in half-court sets as well.
Lonzo Ball’s shortcomings are evident, but it deserves mentioning that he’s already a first-class defender. Polishing off his offensive repertoire is priority No. 1, but he should make it a goal to take his defense to a new level and make an All-Defensive team this season. The 3-point revolution pushed the league into a screen-heavy, movement based era of offense, and defending off the ball has become significantly more important. Ball’s instincts and quickness enable him to chase his man effectively, jump passing lanes, and create havoc.
Before he went down last season, Lonzo led the Lakers in steals, steal percentage and deflections. Jrue Holiday was All-Defensive the past two years, providing Ball not just an elite defensive sidekick on the court, but a mentor off of it. Man-to-man Ball can hang with the best of them, a necessity considering the murderers row of Point Guards (Lillard, Curry, Westbrook) in the Western Conference. Per Synergy, he ranked in the 92nd percentile defending jump shots off the dribble and 83rd in defending high pick-and-rolls. Lonzo has the physical and mental gifts to become one of the best defenders in the entire NBA, if he can stay healthy for a full season, an All-NBA Defensive selection could be waiting for him.
Lonzo Ball’s room for physical improvement has already been detailed, but any flipping of the switch starts mentally. There’s been well-publicized struggles in his basketball and personal life in the past. A change of scenery is exactly what the doctor ordered, plus a lot of physical therapy. Thankfully he’s stopped playing in Big Baller Brand shoes, whose shoddy manufacturing has some questioning whether some of Ball’s injuries were avoidable.
With the Lakers in the rearview mirror, New Orleans is the perfect destination for him to fulfill his potential. His trajectory is right on line with the young core of the Pelicans and David Griffin is preaching patience throughout the organization. Should he be willing to accept tutelage from veterans J.J. Redick and Jrue Holiday, Ball will learn how to disregard the outside noise and fixate solely on the game. There’s countless examples of high draft picks who were creeping towards the “bust” label (Victor Oladipo, De’Angelo Russell, Buddy Hield) but flipped the switch once they got a fresh start. Lonzo Ball is in prime position to be next.
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