Whether after a practice session or shootaround, a regular sight has been Los Angeles Lakers rookies Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma shooting together. It often has come in an “Around the World” shooting competition against assistant coaches Miles Simon and Brian Shaw.
But after Thursday’s practice, Kuzma and Josh Hart were shooting free throws at one corner basket inside the UCLA Health Training Center, while Ball and Isaiah Thomas worked their way around the arc in another corner.
There’s been plenty of intrigue over how the two point guards would mesh since the Lakers acquired Thomas as part of a trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers. To this point, any experimenting has come in practice, and somewhat limited as Ball recovers from an MCL sprain.
While their time together on the court is not yet extensive, Ball and Thomas used the All-Star break to familiarize themselves with one another’s game.
“It’s been great,” Ball said of that time. “He’s a natural scorer, so I think it’s going to be easy. We know how to play the game, so I think it will be fun.” The day after a recent loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Ball reached out to Thomas to see if he was one to work out on what was a scheduled off day for the team.
Thomas responded to the text message, “There are no days off. He asked if he can workout with me, so that says a lot about the type of person and player he is. He wants to be great. He wants to get better, and I’m all for helping him.”
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