The headline is no surprise. Of course a head coach will almost always compliment his own players, especially a young, talented rookie like Lonzo Ball. But the exact wording a coach uses when doing so is always of interest. The Lakers are 11-25 this season, which through Monday’s games is the second worst record in the league. Ball has a long way to go on his shot, but his rebounding, passing and overall court awareness is very impressive. He’s averaging 10.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. The shooting is an issue: 34.9% FG and 29.7% three-pointers. Still, an excellent rookie, as head coach Luke Walton is happy to explain. Here’s the LA Times reporting:
Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball’s injured left shoulder will be reevaluated on Tuesday while the Lakers take a day off of practice…
“Whether he’s making shots or not, the way he plays the game of basketball makes us a better team,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said of Ball after Monday’s game. “Tyler and Josh [Hart] did a great job last night but, yeah, we missed him last night too.
“Zo’s someone that we believe makes big plays, makes winning plays, whether it’s a steal or throw ahead to end the run — whatever it is — he’s constantly making those throughout a game.”
Although possible, it’s unlikely that Ball will be cleared to play Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While his team was away, Ball underwent treatment.