Los Angeles Lakers: 3 things the losing streak taught us

3. Lonzo Ball was missed

While it seems crazy to believe, the Lakers really missed Ball’s pace and excellent court vision during the slump. Whether people believe in his ability or not, Lonzo Ball is as true a point guard as anyone will find in this league. He does it all for this Lakers team — rebound, assist and score when he has to. He can get you steals too. The guy, to put it simply, just goes out and plays basketball.

In many ways, he is the perfect silent leader for this team. While he doesn’t say much and doesn’t show his emotions, he leads by his demeanor. Because on the court and off it, Lonzo isn’t rattled by the noise. With a team as young as these Lakers it’s good to have a player that just does his job.

Indeed, Lonzo does his job well. On the court, he is the Los Angeles Lakers’ leader in rebounds and assists on the season. He moves with a pace that energizes the entire team. It reminds me of Rajon Rondo in his Boston Celtics days. If the Lakers are to have better performances it will be because of Lonzo Ball, to an extent. He is not the most important player, but his pace energizes the rest of the team and that alone helps.

While his offense hasn’t been great, it is steadily improving and his value to this team is appearing more and more as the season progresses. With Lonzo’s growing confidence, the Los Angeles Lakers should see the team’s confidence go up as well.