In his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Lonzo Ball began showing serious signs of improvement. With injuries beginning to cut down the team, Ball stepped up and played the best basketball of his career to help keep the Lakers afloat before a Grade 3 ankle sprain ended his year prematurely.
It’s the second consecutive time Ball has seen his season end early and he’s played just 99 total games. As the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the pressure on Ball to succeed is immense and he knows that which is why he already has his plans on how to improve this offseason.
“We’re going to start off with free throws until my ankle gets 100 percent,” Ball said during the team’s exit interviews recently. “But just everything — shooting the ball, catch-and-shoot, a lot of pick-and-roll work… anything I can do.”
Free throws are definitely something Ball needs to improve on immensely. He shoots 43.7% from the free-throw line — an unacceptable number for anyone let alone a point guard. His overall shooting showed signs of improvement in Year 2 as he shot 4.6% better from the field and 2.4% better from thee three-point line than his rookie season, but it can still get much better.
His ball-handling and ability to properly read the pick-and-roll will also be extremely important in his growth as so much NBA offense is based in the pick-and-roll. Ball understands how important this summer is ahead of his third season and is looking forward to just having the ability to work out this offseason.
“Like you said, it’s my first summer I get to have, so looking forward to it.”
Last offseason, Ball had arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus, ruining his chances of truly working out. Even still, he looked better in a number of areas in his second season.
Now with a full offseason to work on his game, Ball is looking forward to the chance to put in the time and come back for the 2019-20 NBA season a whole new player.