One month ago, the future for Lonzo Ball looked as uncertain as ever. Struggling with injuries on an underachieving side, Ball was moved to the bench as the proverbial scapegoat amidst a putrid stretch of play from the Pelicans.
Undeterred, Ball returned to the starting lineup two weeks after his benching and has pieced together the best stretch of basketball in his career, helping drag the Pelicans back into the playoff race along the way.
December was anything but festive for Ball. After returning from two-game absence with a stomach virus, he started four games, moved to the bench for four games, had a brief cameo back in the starting lineup before moving back to the bench for the next two games. In that span of 11 games, the Pelicans were 1-10 and sported one of the worst offenses in the league while being tied for 29th in net rating.
A return to the starting lineup against Portland proved to be the turning point for Ball and the Pelicans both. As he began to find his groove, so, too, did New Orleans.
And on Saturday, when the Pelicans needed a lift in the second night of a back-to-back in Sacramento, a bit of poetic justice saw Ball carry the Pelicans through the fourth period, scoring 15 of his 24 points before assisting on JJ Redick’s game-winning basket with 1.1 seconds left.
In the six games since Ball’s insertion into the starting lineup, the Pelicans are 5-1. The wins haven’t been easy, nor have they come against bottom-feeding foes. Three of the wins have come against teams currently in the playoffs while the other two came against sides battling for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
When asked about the keys to the recent run of form by the Pelicans after Saturday’s win, head coach Alvin Gentry was quick to single out Ball.
“To me, the guy that has really kind of stepped up for us and has done a great job has been Lonzo. He made two or three really big shots for us when we were struggling a little bit and came up with a couple of big rebounds. I think he’s playing well. He has our pace where we really want it. He’s pushing the basketball really hard and creating shots. And I think he’s been really solid defensively. He’s playing really good basketball for us.”
Over the last six games, only one Pelican has a higher net rating than Ball in Derrick Favors. With him on the court, the Pelicans have an offensive rating of 119.2, a number that would safely exceed the Bucks for the best offense in the league. And while the defensive rating isn’t quite as eye-catching at 105.7, it’s a drastic improvement on the team’s current defensive rating of 113.5.
Ball has done a bit of everything over the stretch, averaging 17.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists. But his 40.8% three-point shooting in the stretch has been the true catalyst, as has his willingness to attack the basket. Per Cleaning the Glass, which does factor out garbage time stats, Ball is shooting 65% at the rim this season. Not only is that a career-best mark by a sizeable margin, it ranks him in the 87th percentile in the league.
Ball has repeatedly pointed to his health as a big reason for his recent surge and for good reason. Gone is the rust from spending much of the summer stationary or in a boot with his ankle sprain. And the lingering effects of a groin strain that forced him out of action for the better part of November have diminished as well.
What’s left is a healthy, efficient and impactful guard playing the best basketball of his career and putting the Pelicans back into the playoff conversation in the process.
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