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Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball recently revealed that he worked out with Steve Nash and Kevin Durant at the Lakers’ facility. And on NBCSports.com’s Pro Basketball Talk podcast, Ball talked to Kurt Helin about what he learned from his fellow point guard Nash.
“He’s an MVP, one of the best point guards who was playing, so anything that he taught me is definitely useful. And just that one day alone I learned a lot, from coming off a screen, to guarding, there’s a lot of things that he helped with and I appreciate him taking time out of his day to do that because I know he didn’t have to,” Ball said.
While Ball is a uniquely talented point guard as it is, one of the skills he could still improve upon is his work off the pick-and-roll. He didn’t run much pick-and-roll at UCLA last season, but given how essential that play is in the NBA, he’ll need to do a better job of running it.
Steve Nash just so happened to be a master of the pick-and-roll, especially during his time with the Phoenix Suns, where he won his two MVPs. He and Nash likely worked on some of those during their time together and hopefully for the rookie, he picked up a thing or two from the NBA legend to help him improve that aspect of his game.
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Apart from the on-court skills, Ball also discussed some off-the-court routines with Nash in terms of conditioning, general wellness, and proper diet.
“We talked about all that. Nutrition, keeping your body right in the training room and stuff, lifting weights the right way, so he helped me on more things than just basketball. He helped me with my all around game,” Ball said.
While Nash's body eventually broke down during his time with the Lakers, he was still able to play at a high level into his mid-30s due to the care he placed on his body. He is as good a resource as anyone on those topics, and Lonzo Ball should take whatever advice Nash gave to heart.
