Though it came in a losing effort, Lonzo Ball continued his strong play in recent weeks with 23 points, marking the first time in his career that he had back-to-back 20-point outings. After the game, Alvin Gentry continued to laud praise on his starting point guard.
“He’s been playing well. Zo’s been playing well. He’s done a good job with the pace of the game and pushing it. He’s done a good job of getting the ball in the paint and, if not finding somebody, finishing himself. I think he’s in a good place and I think he’s played well for us the last five or six games.”
“I think he’s been really aggressive. Like I said, I think he’s done a great job on makes or misses of getting the ball and pushing it and trying to create some early offense for us. He’s been really good at that.”
Over his last nine games, Ball is averaging 13.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists while shooting 43.6% from the field and 40.4% from three-point range. It’s arguably the best basketball Ball has played in his brief time in the league and is inarguably the best he’s looked as a scorer. Not only is he knocking down threes at a higher rate but he’s also getting to the rim.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Ball is shooting 64% at the rim, ranking him in the 81st percentile. It is by far the highest mark of his career, as is his three-point shooting percentages. As long as he stays healthy, it could end up being his best season in the NBA.
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