Los Angeles Lakers: Grading each starter after 1 month of play

Point Guard: Lonzo Ball

With all of the astronomical hype around the 20-year-old rookie, there was just no possible way he was going to live up to those ridiculous expectations. Saying that Ball has struggled to knock down shots is an understatement, as he’s shooting 30.3 percent from the field and 23 percent from 3, but there is no denying that he has made his teammates better and made clutch plays late in games.

Ball is averaging 6.9 assists per game, which is second among rookies, and has shown all year long that he knows how to get the ball to teammates when they’re open.  He is also fourth among rookies in blocks and third among rookies in steals, so it is clear that his 6’6″ frame is translating to the NBA.

He must fix his shooting woes if he wants to be a serviceable point guard in the NBA, but he has been able to stay relevant to the Lakers because of all of the other things he does to help the team. This next month of games will be very telling about whether Ball is capable of getting out of a slump.

Despite recent rumors that Ball is headed to the bench, Luke Walton has assured everyone that he is the team’s starting point guard. His confidence in his rookie point guard has not wavered all season, and despite his suspect shooting, Ball barely gets out of the first month with a passing grade.

Grade: C