Lakers’ Lonzo Ball Hopes Fresh Look Equals A Fresh New Start
Lonzo Ball is not necessarily tearing it up on the basketball court for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ball is hopeful that a sudden change equals change in his production.
The Los Angeles Lakers rookie is showcasing a new look. According to ESPN, Lonzo Ball is donning a new haircut these days. Ball’s hair is something that surprised reporters during his post-shoot around interview. It immediately became the topic of discussion.
Gone is Lonzo Ball’s signature afro. He wore it for much of his freshman year at UCLA. Some of the media members on hand for the Lakers’ presser wondered aloud whether Lonzo Ball cut his hair as a result of his struggles shooting the basketball. Ball immediately suggested that there was no relation between the two.
“Just time to restart. Did it at UCLA, cut my hair, grew it back out. About that time. Had it for a while.”
Lonzo Ball’s mention of a restart is enough to get rumors swirling about a shift in his mindset as the Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard.
Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach Luke Walton has sat Lonzo Ball in the fourth quarter of a few games in favor of Jordan Clarkson. Clarkson has played effectively throughout the season. Conversely, Lonzo Ball has not. Lonzo Ball has struggled immensely.
Lonzo Ball’s struggles have led people to believe that he will never live up to the hype with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lonzo Ball shuts down any psychological interpretation of his new look. “It’s just a haircut, man.” pic.twitter.com/zfzke65rON
— Bill Oram (@billoram) November 17, 2017
For the season, Lonzo Ball is only shooting just over 30 percent from the field. To make matters worse, the Lakers star has a woeful player efficiency rating of 9.7, with a true shooting percentage of 36.
Lonzo Ball as the Los Angeles Lakers’ floor leader has had a better output. Ball’s advanced assists percentage is 30 percent. He has a 19 percent usage rating.
Being able to generate an assist for just under one-third of the time will keep Lonzo Ball in the Lakers’ starting lineup. Ball’s status as the Lakers’ starting point guard (courtesy of NBC Los Angeles) will not change, according to Lakers’ coach Luke Walton, who insists that Ball is still confident in his ability.
“I’m not worried about his confidence, no. He’s a confident young man, as he should be. He’s very good at the game of basketball. What he’s already accomplished in these games, getting a triple-double, average rebounding the way he is against these bigs in this league and the assists he’s putting up, that’s really impressive for a 20-year-old point guard to do.”
Getting triple-doubles is not an easy feat. Lonzo Ball is one of few NBA players capable of averaging close to a triple-double in a full season.
Lonzo Ball may still have confidence in his game, but his struggles suggest that he must fine-tune a few things as he pushes the Lakers forward. How the Lakers play may be dictated by how well Ball plays. Although the Lakers are only 15 games into the season, it is easy to tell that Lonzo Ball’s teammates feed off of his energy.
That energy must translate to wins and better shots taken from the field by Lonzo Ball. One of the biggest problems that the Lakers guard has faced with is an iffy jump shot. Ball is making only 23 percent of his three-point attempts. Over 40 percent of Lonzo Ball’s shots are from distance. It is not his haircut that will change his game, but his shot selection.
There is a lot of observers who expects Lonzo Ball to turn things around. Ball’s shorter hair will not do the trick. However, because Lonzo Ball’s afro had become his signature look in the eyes of many, there is some huge buzz going around about the Los Angeles Lakers star.
[Featured Image by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
