Los Angeles Lakers: 2018-19 player grades for Lonzo Ball
By Amaar Burton
Weaknesses
Shooting remains Lonzo Ball’s Achilles heel. (Which is at least one body part that hasn’t been injured yet in his short pro career.)
There have been plenty of brilliant playmakers with poor shooting percentages to come along before Ball — one of them happens to be his teammate, Rondo — but the mystery of Lonzo’s lost shot is so intriguing because he was a very good shooter in college.
Ball hit 55.1 percent of his field goals at UCLA, 41.2 percent of his 3-pointers and 67.3 percent of his free throws. The form on his shot was funky, but “at least it goes in” was the popular response to that.
Now, it’s not going in. And no one seems to know why. Fans, media and former players have weighed in with theories and potential solutions from the outside, and of course the Lakers and Ball have been working on it in-house.
Lonzo Ball on what he'll work on in the offseason: "We're going to start off with free throws until my ankle gets 100%. Just everything. Shooting the ball. Catch and shoot. A lot of pick-and-roll work. Anything I can do."
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) April 10, 2019
Ball can still be a solid pro if his shot never improves. His defense and playmaking can earn him good money in the league. However, he would be so much better and have All-Star potential if he becomes a real threat as a shooter.
Staying healthy is really the biggest concern. In two seasons as a pro, Ball has missed 40 percent of his team’s games due to injuries.