Los Angeles Lakers: A deeper look at Lonzo Ball’s offensive woes

Absence on the offensive end

Being the point guard of a young team brings quite a bit of responsibility. Being the point guard of any team is a tall task. It takes more than skill to be a successful point guard. No doubt, Lonzo is an incredibly talented passer with a soft touch around the rim. However, there are times when he will hand off the ball and then he doesn’t touch it again.

Some guards that come to mind as great commanders are Jason Kidd, Steve Nash and John Wall. Why is that? It goes deeper than their shooting ability and passing. They mastered the art of the give-and-go. On any given offensive play, the aforementioned guards bring the ball up, pass it, and are in a state of constant motion. If the original play fails, they rotate around and demand the ball back to reset and make another play or score it themselves.

There are some critics that say Lonzo isn’t aggressive enough. Perhaps with a little more aggression, his scoring numbers would be slightly better. However, I believe the aggression has to come not only when scoring, but on rotations and screens. He must demand the ball in return. For example, here are two great samples of Jason Kidd give and go plays. Notice how he never takes himself out of the plays. He remains in motion.

Now I’m not here to say Lonzo will be as great as Jason Kidd. However, if he is to be as good as the Lakers believe him to be, then he must learn to never isolate himself out of the offense. His offensive struggles will benefit greatly from that. While he still needs to work on his shot, he

should look to pass and score inside.