He came into the league with extremely high expectations, put on him by his very outspoken father, Lavar, but Lonzo Ball still had a very impressive rookie campaign. The team has added Rajon Rondo to help push him, and to teach him more about the NBA game. Read below as we project Lonzo’s second season.
He’ll be just twenty years old when the season begins, and he still has a long way to go in his development. Though he struggled with his shot (36% from the floor, 30% from three, 45% from the line) last year, he did improve as the season began to wind down. As far as that goes, we can expect him to be able to knock down threes at a higher rate this year. Especially with LeBron running some point, he can get a number of open looks with the catch-and-shoot.
For a point guard, he is already a tremendous rebounder, using every inch of his 6’6 frame. Ball averaged seven rebounds per game (1.3 offensive) and this is something we should see stay steady. With Rajon Rondo now aboard, a 6’0 point guard who has always been a good rebounder now here, that can also only help. LeBron will likely lead this team in that category, but Lonzo will get between 5-7 boards per game.
On to assists, Ball did a great job of finding the open man, whenever he was running the show. Ball averaged 7.2 assists per game and was lucky to have so many catch and shoot specialists, in Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, and Kentavius Caldwell-Pope around. He played a few games alongside Isaiah Thomas, who is also very talented with the catch-and-shoot as well. That number could very well increase up to around eight per game, despite the fact we haven’t seen LeBron play on a team and have another guy averaging more than even six assists.
Ball also has very quick hands, and recorded over 100 steals in the 52 games he appeared in last year. He came up with 1.7 per game and ran the break very well. The give-and-go is something Ball does very well. He’s also built great chemistry with Kuzma and Josh Hart, his fellow second-year players.
PROJECTED STATS FOR LONZO BALL’S 2018-19 SEASON
71 games played (60 starts)
14.3 points per game
7.0 rebounds per game
8.1 assists per game
40% field goal percentage
33% three-point percentage
2.0 steals per game
1.0 blocks per game
This season is an important one for Lonzo’s future development, and it has to be one where he tells his father to stop with the bold predictions. As long as Lonzo says nothing, it is deemed by his father to be nothing. At least, publicly. He should play well off the ball with LeBron running some of the offense, as well.
There will be a lot of scoring opportunities for Ball while playing alongside Lance Stephenson or Rajon Rondo with the second unit.
Watch out for Ball!
