The Los Angeles Lakers came up just short on Thursday night, falling to the Portland Trail Blazers 113-110 in a back-and-forth contest. It was not a good night for rookie Lonzo Ball however, who failed to score and only took two shots the entire game.
Ball did contribute in other ways as he had four assists, three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while only turning the ball over once. Nonetheless, going scoreless in a three-point game is surely something he would want back.
Head coach Luke Walton felt the same as he said that he felt Lonzo was too passive against Portland according to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell:
Walton said he thought Lonzo was “A little too passive tonight. He’s so unselfish … we want him to be more aggressive attacking defenses.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) November 3, 2017
As is always the case with Ball, there are some things that won’t show up in the box score. However, only taking two shots is the most disturbing part of his game on this night as it shows a lack of aggression.
No one will ever question Lonzo’s vision and passing ability, but teams are already beginning to play off of him because they know that is his first choice. He will have to start making teams pay for playing him to score, which would then open up more passing lanes for him.
Ball is still an extremely young player who has a lot of room to grow in this league, but he has a lot of pressure on him to perform at a high level. The Lakers look to him as the guy in control of their offense and he will need to give them more.
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