Lonzo Ball has long battled inconsistency in his NBA career. During large portions of his time in Los Angeles, strong performances one game would lend way to lesser ones in the next contest. The cruelest irony saw Ball string together his strongest stretch of games just prior to his season-ending ankle injury last season.
Now in New Orleans and after some early-season struggles, Ball has carved out his role with the Pelicans. Over the last 16 games, Ball is averaging 14.5 points, 7.9 assists and 7.3 rebounds. Most importantly, he’s hit 39.5% of his three-pointers on 7.1 attempts per game. In that span, no player has attempted more three-pointers and only JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli have better percentages.
It’s easily been the longest stretch of strong play from Ball in his career. Head coach Alvin Gentry said as such during an appearance on The Woj Pod with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski following Zion Williamson’s debut.
“I think Brandon has really done a great job of just expanding his game in all areas from the free throw shooting to the three point shooting to just being a guy we can go to at the end of the game. As you said, I think Lonzo Ball is probably playing the best basketball of his career on any level. He’s always a rebound or an assist away from a triple-double most nights. He’s doing exactly what we anticipated. So, when you add Zion to the mix, I think we’re going to be fine.”
On the same podcast, David Griffin spoke about Williamson’s absence and the effect it had on Ball. While initially a negative for Ball and the team as a whole, Williamson’s injury allowed both Ball and Brandon Ingram to flourish in bigger roles with larger responsibilities.
For Ball, staying healthy has been the biggest key to his strong play since December. Not coincidentally, prior to his strong play, Ball battled injuries early in the year.
