For most of the last two seasons, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have been seen as the future of the Pelicans. But as performances like Monday’s against the Jazz becoming commonplace for Lonzo Ball, the fourth-year guard is playing his way into the franchise’s future as well.
Ball scored 23 points with eight assists and seven rebounds as the Pelicans new Big Three combined for 75 points in New Orleans’ 129-124 victory over Utah, their biggest win of the year.
“Tonight was a great night for all three of us,” Ball said. “Any time we play like this, I definitely am going to like our chances versus anybody in the league. I think it’s just about finding that balance, knowing when we can attack, knowing our spots and just playing off of each other.”
All seven of Ball’s fourth-quarter points came in succession when the Pelican offense had gone missing. After back-to-back midrange jumpers slowed the Jazz run, Ball buried a 3-pointer in semi-transition to put the hosts up 122-108 with 3:54 left.
While the final four minutes got hairy for New Orleans before they held on for the win, Monday was another strong performance from Ball in what has become a growing trend.
“I definitely feel good,” Ball said. “I felt good last year before the coronavirus took over and everything. For me, it’s just getting into rhythm and I feel I’m in that pocket right now.
“This is a new situation, new team, new coaches so we had to figure some things out. But for myself, just figuring out what (the coaches) want from me and just doing the best I can with whatever they need.”
Over the last 20 games since returning from injury, Ball is averaging 16.3 points while shooting 45.1% from 3-point range to go with 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per contest. The stretch also comes after Ball was included in trade rumors during the middle of January.
Ball has shut down any trade talks with his play with a new report on Monday indicating the Pelicans are unlikely to deal the guard before the deadline. And though he has little say in the matters, Ball is eager to continue building with Ingram and Williamson in New Orleans.
“I love playing with those guys and I’m also really cool with them off the floor as well,” Ball said. “We’re all young. I think we can do some big things, especially in the future coming up.”
Ingram and Williamson share the sentiment with their point guard. The former took to Instagram after the game to publicly back Ball and both expressed support with their quotes as well.
Brandon Ingram showing his support after Lonzo Ball’s big night tonight pic.twitter.com/6if9gPB8nG
— Jacob Rude (@JacobRude) March 2, 2021
“It just seems like his work is paying off,” Ingram said. “I see him every day just keyed in on his game and knocking that 3-pointer down every single day, him getting into his mid-range and it seemed like it felt comfortable tonight and confident in everything he did.
“Even when Lonzo’s like, in your words, not shooting well, he’s still out there playing great defense and applying pressure on the defensive end,” Williamson added. “Nights like tonight and the previous night when he’s shooting well and applying pressure like that, Lonzo’s a great player. I just wish he’d get the full respect he deserves.”
Ball’s future in New Orleans will be measured in small steps. First, the trade deadline on March 25 before the off-season when he enters restricted free agency. But with each passing game, Ball looks more and more like the final piece of the Pelicans young big three.