With Lonzo Ball diagnosed with a sprained left shoulder, the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen short against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Memphis Grizzlies. In the 109-99 loss to the Grizzlies, the Lakers finished with a season-low 14 assists, according to Kevin Ding of Lakers.

Following the team's loss, head coach Luke Walton was asked about how Ball's injury impacts the Lakers.

“This is why I think you ask anyone in our organization all year about Lonzo's shooting struggles, we tell you he will be fine because we know how important he is to us with the way he plays and with the way that we want to play,” Walton said. “With the way that he pushes the ball, he just hits whoever is open every time and that is contagious. Now that he is not out there with us, we need to make sure that we make it a point that that is still how we are going to play.”

During Ball's absence, Jordan Clarkson has started in his place. While Clarkson is averaging 4.5 assists in the last two games, the Lakers do not have another playmaker like Ball as Brandon Ingram saw an increase in his ballhandling duties against the Grizzlies.

As Ball is set to be re-evaluated soon, his absence shows how much he impacts how the Lakers want to play. While all the focus has been on the rookie's shooting percentages, Ball's presence goes beyond the numbers.