Lonzo Ball fans should be excited after he stuffed the stat sheet against the 76ers.
Lonzo Ball had himself a game Wednesday against the 76ers. He stuffed the stat sheet with 36 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, five steals, and two blocks, becoming the first player in Summer League history to put up at least 30 points and 10 assists.
These games are exhibitions, but it’s still impressive that Ball was the biggest contributor in his team fighting back from a 14-point deficit. He went from eight first-half points to 36 for the game and turned in a huge second-half performance that included a go-ahead and-1 layup with a few seconds left on the clock.
Ball is the most talked about prospect of this draft class. Even LeBron James showed up to the game to see what all the hype was about.
And Ball lived up to every single bit of it on Wednesday night. We already knew how great a passer Ball is — but 36 points? He’s not supposed to do that. Scoring is supposed to be his weakness.
But Ball showed he can actually create his own shot when needed. And if he can combine that with his crisp passing ability, there will be plenty of great performances to come.
Ball’s passing was electric
Ball’s passing ability is well-known, but still, he seems to surprise us with a few jaw-droppers in each game. These two early pinpoint full-court passes had everyone in awe. (Video via Dawkins MTA)
He sees things on the court other people can’t. Nine times out of 10, jumping in the air while falling away with a pass becomes a turnover. But not for Ball. He’ll find his man.
Ball’s is creating easy looks for his teammates thanks to his passing skill. After just a few games, the team is already talking about having to stay on a swivel because Ball’s passes are coming whenever he’s ready to send them.
"I know it's always coming. I know I've got to look up before I get hit in the head with the ball,” since-waived forward David Nwaba said, via SB Nation’s Silver Screen and Roll. “He's a great passer, and I know I've got to be ready at all times."
Ivica Zubac had the same feeling.
“You always have to watch for the ball,” Zubac said. “You always have to be careful because if he sees a little bit of open space, he's going to pass the ball."
But Ball also scored and created off the dribble, which is a more encouraging sign
Yes, Ball made spectacular passes. But it’s more important for his future success that he scored so efficiently with volume.
Before Wednesday night, Ball didn’t have a trip to the free-throw line in summer league. But he went to the line 12 times against Philadelphia, making nine. That’s a big number, even if it isn’t against NBA competition.
It shows that Ball is working on his mid-game and learning how to create going to his right. That was a knock on him coming out of UCLA and one of the main areas in which he struggled in his first couple of summer league outings.
We weren’t sure that Ball could drive and finish going to his right against higher competition. We still haven’t seen him do it against the best NBA athletes, but this is an encouraging sign in his development.
More than anything else, Ball made adjustments and improvements from game to game. He still hasn’t quite found his jump shot — he’s shooting 5-of-26 from three and 38 percent from the field overall. But he’s slowly shown more ability to operate in the pick-and-roll-centric NBA game.
He went from simply pulling up for three when opponents went under screens to finding a way to get into the paint. He operates in transition like a veteran, throwing the ball up ahead of the defense — or even over the defense. When he gets a head of steam, it’s tough to stay in front of him.
Lakers fans should be excited about what Ball could be. Scoring won’t be his strength, but he showed he can be a threat to score, which will set up the rest of his game.
The best of him has yet to come. If it’s anything like it was last night, the rest of the league is in trouble.