The Los Angeles Lakers brass was convinced that Lonzo Ball would be the new face of the franchise in the post-Kobe Bryant era when they drafted him this past summer. Ball showed Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka the skills and leadership qualities they believed would make him a transcendent player on the NBA level, but so far Lonzo's rookie campaign has been disappointing.
Outside of becoming the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, Ball's first season with the Lakers has yet to live up to expectations. One thing that has held Ball back more than anything else thus far has been his poor shooting.
“I'm just trying to shoot when it is open,” Ball said after practice. “A lot of my shots right now are open and they're just not going in. It's not like they're bad shots, so coach doesn't have a problem with it. I'm just shooting them, just trying to make them.”
Lonzo is currently shooting 30.9 percent from the floor after 20 games and an ugly 24.5 percent from beyond the arc. As if those percentages weren't bad enough, the rookie hasn't been able to get it done at the free-throw line either at a dismal 42.9 percent.
“It's just frustrating,” Ball said. “You've been shooting your whole life and then you get here. All the shots, like I said, are wide open, they're just not going in.”
Despite his frustration and the constant criticism for his inefficient shooting at this point in the season, Ball intends to stay the course and not deviate from what he's done throughout his entire basketball career.
“I always just kept shooting my whole life, so I'm not going to stop now. Hopefully, it gets better going forward.”
Things won't get any easier for Ball on Wednesday when the Lakers host the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center. Although Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have publicly supported Ball throughout his struggles, the Warriors won't be taking it easy on the rookie as they try to bounce back from a loss to the lowly Sacramento Kings.
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