Los Angeles Lakers Coach Luke Walton Says He Will Not Bench Rookie Guard Lonzo Ball
Many were quick to label Lonzo Ball as the new face of the franchise after the Los Angeles Lakers selected him in this year's draft. However, things haven't gone exactly as expected in his first month in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Of course, it's only 15 games into the season and shooting slumps aren't that uncommon, but Ball is shooting at a historically bad 30.3 percent clip from the field right now and he's not doing any better from beyond the three-point line. The rookie guard is only making 23 percent of his threes and has even been struggling on the free-throw line, hitting just 50 percent of his shots.
Normally, players who are shooting this poorly don't see much playing time because they are a liability on the offensive end of the floor. But the Lakers are not giving up on Ball, and head coach Luke Walton has confirmed that he will continue to start at the point guard position.
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Well, the Lakers are not competing for a playoff spot anyway so they may as well give Ball starter minutes as he continues to work on his shot selection. In any case, his passing, rebounding, and defense are quite good for a guard.
Meanwhile, Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has spoken out against the Ball's critics and he said people were placing unfair expectations on his teammate.
"I know he wants to play better and wants to be that guy. I think he is going to be all right. The media and everybody in the country wants him to be a Hall of Famer, wants him to be an All-Star right now, but he is still a rookie. It is tough to play at this level for anybody. There are 10-year vets that play way worse than he does and nobody talks about them. He will be all right, 20 years old, not worried about him," Kuzma said, via ESPN.
