The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their second straight game to start off their road trip, this time falling to the Washington Wizards 111-95. Rookie Lonzo Ball flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, but the story once again was his shooting.
Ball shot just 3-12 from the field, making just one of his seven three-point attempts. He has struggled all season, but the last five games have been especially bad as he’s shooting just 22.8 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three-point range.
Many have begun seriously questioning Ball’s failure to hit shots, but head coach Luke Walton remains positive with his point guard. Walton continues to point to Ball’s other contributions and believes he makes the Lakers better via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Luke said Lonzo makes the team so much better even when his shot isn’t going in: “He’s going to start making those shots…” (on @SpectrumSN)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 10, 2017
Walton also added that the pressure Ball is under is unlike anything that any player has had to go through in a long time via Winters:
Luke Walton on Lonzo Ball: “He's got a lot more pressure on him than anyone has in a long time coming out from college.” (on @SpectrumSN)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 10, 2017
The pressure Ball is under is certainly far greater than just about any rookie has ever had to deal with. While he remains calm throughout everything, it’s hard to believe that the expectations aren’t affecting him at least a little bit.
Lonzo is very hard on himself so he is no doubt putting even more pressure on himself to produce offensively which he hasn’t done. His passing and rebounding remain outstanding however, especially for a rookie, and he has made plays on defense, averaging about a steal and a block per game.
Walton has belief that Lonzo will turn it around and his shooting numbers at every other level suggest he is capable of shooting much better. In the meantime he continues to do other things on the court, but he will be much more effective overall once the shots start to fall.
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