Los Angeles Lakers: 3 takeaways from LeBron James-less stretch of games

2. Ball elevates team when aggressive

The main thing that stands out when looking at Lonzo Ball’s splits over the past 11 games is field goal attempts. In the Lakers’ four wins, Zo has taken 13.0 shots per game. In the seven losses, he took 11.0 shots per game. It is only two shots, but the extra shots he’s taking within 10 feet make the main difference.

Everybody knows Lonzo’s main strengths are passing, IQ and his defense. This ability to make an impact without the ball is what makes him such an intriguing player and perfect fit next to LeBron and others. But teams sag off him so much and dare him to shoot that 51.6 percent of his shots outside of 10 feet this season are open, or there’s four feet of space between him and the closest defender.

His 3-point percentage is a very respectable 38.6 percent (5.6 attempts per game) over the last 11 games, but when he is getting in the paint, the team is more effective. In the Lakers’ four wins, 48.3 percent of his points come in the paint. In the seven losses, only 38 percent of his points come from inside the paint.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1085383863709454339

Lonzo has bounce and is improving as a finisher when driving. When he gets a full head of steam and attacks in the open floor, you wonder why he doesn’t do this all the time. Being aggressive puts so much pressure on the defense. Zo dictates the tempo of the game so well that it’s tough to fault him for picking his spots, but when he looks for his own shot, everything opens up for him.

It’s only a small uptick, but Lonzo scoring more and shooting more leads to Lakers wins. The rest of his box score is nearly identical in wins or losses, but he scores three points per game more in wins than losses. Until LeBron returns (and even when he returns), Ball has to trust his shot, his ability to get to the rim and remain aggressive for the Lakers to reach their full potential as a team.