Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball will start the season as the team's backup as veteran floor general Rajon Rondo entered camp as the starter and presumably a mentor for Ball, who only spent one season at UCLA before declaring for the 2017 NBA Draft.
That said, although Ball is behind Rondo on the depth chart, Lakers head coach Luke Walton has no issue with playing Ball at shooting guard. Ball has no problems with defending opposing twos if that's the case.
According ClutchPoints' Ryan Ward, when asked about playing in dual point guard lineups, the 6-foot-6 Ball said “I can guard twos. I don't think that's a problem. Like I said, I did it at UCLA, so it's not a big deal for me.”
Lonzo Ball on lineups playing w Rajon Rondo: "We got two point guards on the court at once. Puts me to the two. I can guard twos. I don't think that's a problem. Like I said, I did it at UCLA, so it's not a big deal for me." #Lakers
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) October 11, 2018
According to Basketball Reference, Lonzo Ball spent 14.0 percent of his minutes at shooting guard last season.
With his height, athleticism, weight (up 15-20 pounds from his listed weight of 190) and wingspan (6-foot-9), Ball certainly has the physical tools to guard opposing shooting guard. Per 82games.com, when matched up against shooting guards, Ball held them to an effective field goal percentage of 47.2 and a player efficiency rating of 16.1,.
He held opposing point guards to an effective field goal percentage of 49.1 and player efficiency rating of 17.4.
With lineups featuring Rondo, Ball and LeBron James, the Lakers will have three elite passers on the floor at the same time. For any team, having that many versatile, high basketball IQ players and preternatural passers would be a dream.
If Ball can consistently defend opposing shooting guards, he'll turn dreams into reality for Lakers.
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