Much of the conversation surrounding Lonzo Ball’s career in the NBA has been on the offensive side of the ball – but on Wednesday, he showcased how valuable he is on the other end of the court.
Ball set a tone on the defensive end against the Suns and Devin Booker that his teammates followed en route to a dominant 123-101 victory. While Zion Williamson’s historical night got deserved plaudits, Ball’s defensive performance was one of the talking points after the win as well.
“He’s the head of our team,” Brandon Ingram said. “He and Bledsoe started on the defensive end with that pressure and I think that actually gets them going a little bit. On the offensive end, he’s in a rhythm, he’s moving, he’s pushing the ball in transition, he’s getting to his mid-range. The last few games that he’s been playing have been pretty good and it’s what we need from him every single night to help our team go.”
Per NBA’s match-up data, Ball was credited for the lion’s share of the defensive possessions on Booker. And while Booker did get Ball in foul trouble while scoring 25 points, it came on 9-of-20 shooting as Ball made Booker work hard for his points.
“Like anybody in the league, you’re going to get scored on some but there’s really nothing easy playing against Lonzo,” head coach Stan Van Gundy said. “He’s got great size, he stays in great position. He’s been very, very disciplined. He’s not gambling a lot. He’s playing great position and just making guys take tough shots.
“Again, I was happy with everybody defensively but I thought he was really, really good and then I under control offensively. A really good night.”
Ball’s defense set a tone for the team on the night as the Pelicans held Phoenix 22.9% shooting from range and a 108.6 offensive rating, a below-average output from Phoenix offense that already ranks below-average relative to the league.
For Ball and the team, the success defensively also set the tone for the offensive end of the court as well. The Pelicans shot 51.1% from the field, 42.4% from 3-point range and assisted on 30 of the team’s 46 field goals.
Individually, Ball continued a string of strong performances as well. On the night, he shot 7-of-13 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3-point territory for 18 points while adding six rebounds, an assist and a steal.
“I think the offense was going well tonight,” Ball said. “I think it actually started on the defensive end. We were flying around on defense and we kind of got our energy going on that end and then the offense kind of took over. Just looking at the film, we do a lot better when we get the ball from side to side and we tried to put emphasis on that tonight.”
“I think most teams are like that,” he continued “Usually when you get stops, it ends going up well for the team that’s playing better defense. We always say defense wins championships. I’ve always been taught that side of the ball has to be great every night because some nights the ball’s just not going to fall and when that happens, you have to rely on defense which you can pretty much do the same thing every night.”
Ball and the Pelicans have struggled to find consistency on the season, sitting at 8-12 after Wednesday’s win. However, with wins in three of their last five games, New Orleans may be turning on a corner with Ball helping lead the way.
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