What to expect from Lonzo Ball this season was a bit of an unknown as an up-and-down rookie year was followed by knee surgery. The operation and subsequent recovery impacted Ball’s summer workouts and limited him at the outset of training camp.
He began the season coming off the bench but was quickly back in the starting lineup because of Rajon Rondo receiving a suspension for his role in a fight with Chris Paul and the Houston Rockets. Ball has remained a starter and played with an aggression of late that’s garnered plenty of praise.
On Friday, Ball had 13 points and 11 assists, good for his first double-double of the season. While the 21-year-old had the vision to find teammates, he gave them credit for his assists, as seen on Spectrum SportsNet:
“It’s our teammates. You can pass the ball all you want, but if they don’t score you don’t get the assist. Guys are running the lanes, hitting shots, and that’s how we got to those numbers.”
James also had 11 assists, marking the first time the Lakers had two players reach double-digits in the statistic since Kobe Bryant had 14 and Pau Gasol finished with 10 against the Sacramento Kings on March 30, 2013.
Beyond the result of the game for the Lakers, Ball didn’t have a strong shooting night. Of course, his calling card remains being able to impact the game in a multitude of facets.
He recently had back-to-back games with at least four steals.
