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The Los Angeles Lakers have a couple new faces on the team that didn't have much time to get used to their new surroundings or teammates before the NBA All-Star break. Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye have replaced the recently traded Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. with rookie Lonzo Ball going out of his way to pick the brain of last year's MVP candidate.
After Lakers practice on Thursday at the team's facility in El Segundo, Ball and Thomas both talked to the media in separate sessions. Most of the conversation with both players was about the budding relationship between the two floor generals with Thomas letting it be known that the rookie reached out to him before the All-Star break.
“I remember the first day we got back [after the Dallas game], and we had a day off, he had text me about, do I go in on days off,” Thomas said. “I’m like, there’s no days off. So I be in there and he had asked can he work out with me.
“That says a lot about what type of person and player he is,” Thomas said of Ball. “He wants to be great. He wants to get better, and I’m all for helping him because I’ve been in the league seven years and I know a little bit about the NBA, but at the same time I’m still pushing to be great as well.”
Ball was asked about texting Thomas and what he planned to learn from veteran guard moving forward.
“Just trying to get a feel for him to see what type of player he is. He was in here with me. We were both working out.”
The UCLA product also talked about the on-court dynamic between the two players and he sees it working out in the final stretch of the NBA regular season. Ball seems very optimistic about them playing off one another as they have two different mindsets on the floor that may compliment one another.
“I think it’s going to be fun,” Ball said of playing alongside Thomas. “Opposites attract. I like to pass. He likes to shoot. I think we’re going to work well. He can definitely help me on the offensive end. Just the way he comes off the screens and how he gets to his spots on the floor. He definitely help me a lot.”
Whether Ball and Thomas end up being a successful duo while on the floor at the same time remains to be seen. There's no question both players are talented with different strengths and weaknesses, but they have yet to share for the floor together since the trade and will likely get their chance on Friday night at the Staples Center.
The Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks on Friday before heading on the road for another lengthy stint away from Los Angeles. Luke Walton's squad will embark on a seven-game road trip after taking on the Mavs and won't return until March 5 when they host Damian Lillard's Portland Trail Blazers.
