The Los Angeles Lakers have continued to rebuild through the draft as they selected Lonzo Ball from UCLA this past week.
Ball was the second pick coming after number one overall pick Markelle Fultz.
Before the Lakers selected Ball, they traded D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft.
Lonzo has now been given the keys to the car as he is projected to be the starting point guard for the Lakers this upcoming season. He may not be the Lakers' number one scoring option, but his play-making skills should improve some of the team's struggles. Ball has court vision that cannot be taught and has great size at the point guard position. Lonzo set the UCLA record for most single-season assists with 274. Lakers fans look to see Ball bring back a version of "showtime" back to LA with his up-tempo style of play. His jump shot is a little unorthodox and people have questioned it, but it does go in.
Although Ball had a great season at UCLA, he had some struggles to his game. Ball often couldn't stay locked in on defense and was often beat off the dribble by faster and more physical guards. The Lakers finished bottom half of the league in defensive efficiency. Adding Lonzo to their backcourt won't fix their defensive problems, which already existed for two years when D'Angelo Russell was the starting point. He may have the size for the point guard position but he lacks the strength to go with it. But, Ball may have the range from deep, as half of his shots at UCLA were threes. Some of those threes were often five feet from beyond the three-point mark. However, Lonzo struggles with the mid-range game. As mentioned, half of his shots as a Bruin were threes. The other half were layups or close two's. Although the mid-range game is hardly seen in the league, it would be effective to develop the attribute.
Most of his downsides can improve as he gets his footing in the league. Having a new coach that used to assist Steve Kerr and the Warriors in their playoff runs should benefit his playing style.
According to Ball's dad, Lavar Ball, the Lakers are playoff bound this upcoming season. Even though that might be a far-fetched statement, a Lakers playoff return is in the near future.
