Life is different for each member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ young core now that LeBron James is in town, but that’s probably truer for Lonzo Ball than anyone else.
After Ball led the Lakers in the 2017-18 season with 80.8 touches per game, that number had dropped to just 54.5 before James’ left groin injury. The ensuing four games have placed Ball back into a more customary role, ballooning his touches to 93.5 during this stretch.
Ball’s weaknesses are incredibly frustrating — and we’ll get to them in a moment — but he’s done well to push the tempo and organize the Lakers in their half-court offense.