Through training camp and the preseason, Lonzo Ball has been one of the standouts of the Pelicans. Add the extra motivation of Ball entering a contract year after he and the franchise did not come to an agreement on an extension, and Ball is primed for a breakout year.
Ball has grown more confident this season in his role under new head coach Stan Van Gundy, drawing praise multiple times this preseason. On Tuesday, Zion Williamson discussed the changes in his new point guard from last season to this.
“You can just see it in him, like, in practice and in the preseason,” he said. “He’s just a lot more comfortable. You can tell he had an offseason to fine-tune the things he wanted to work on and, I mean, I think just him being comfortable, like a lot more comfortable, his game really increased from there.”
Ball and Williamson gained a reputation for the jaw-dropping full-court alley-oops last season. When asked if the two worked on those plays in practice, Williamson’s wry smile was enough of a giveaway to the answer.
“That’s honestly just basketball IQ, me knowing he can make that pass 99 out of 100 times,” he said. “The one time he can’t make it, the ball probably slipped or something but it’s really not on him. Him knowing I can go get it and us just trusting each other, that’s all it is.”
Williamson and Ball figure to be two of the most important members of the Pelicans this season. If Ball can continue making strides, the Pelicans could be a contender come spring.
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