While his offense has been up and down during his three-year career in the NBA, Lonzo Ball’s defense has not. In fact, it largely came as a surprise Ball has been as strong defensively as he has since his rookie season.
In New Orleans last season, Ball excelled next to Jrue Holiday, one of the more underrated guard defenders in the league. While Holiday was traded this offseason, his replacement, Eric Bledsoe, is similarly talented with the hardware to back it up.
His experience in the league as a whole and on the defensive end means his words carry a bit of extra weight. When speaking to the media on Monday, Bledsoe talked about Ball’s talent on the defensive end and how he can help mentor him this season.
“For me, personally, I think Lonzo’s got great instincts for playing great defense,” Bledsoe said. “Me watching from the outside, he definitely has a knack to play. He’s got great feet. He’s got the length to defend. It’s just me helping him out as much as I can.
“At the end of the day, it is basketball and we enjoy doing this. So, just have fun with it, and, like I said, me being here and helping him out as much as I can.”
Bledsoe and Ball will form one of the best defensive backcourts in the league, if not the best, this season. It’ll be Ball’s second season in a row where he can learn from one of the top guard defenders while playing alongside him, which could result in a big season in a contract year.