On Wednesday, the NBA announced this year’s All-Defensive Teams and, unsurprisingly, Lakers guard Lonzo Ball was left off of both teams this year.
It’s not that Ball wasn’t an All-NBA defender when he was on the court this season. In fact, for the second consecutive season, Ball finished in the top-10 among point guard in ESPN’s Defensive Real-Plus Minus. Last season, he finished in the top-three.
However, because Ball appeared in fewer than 50 games this past season, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that he wasn’t named to a team. What was shocking, though, was the fact that he didn’t get a single vote for an All-NBA Defensive Team — not one.
Here’s the full list of team and vote-getters courtesy of Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck:
Of note, the point guards that received more votes than Ball despite ranking lower on ESPN’s Defensive Real-Plus Minus are Marcus Smart, Jrue Holiday, Eric Bledsoe, De’Aaron Fox, Damian Lillard and Ben Simmons. It’s understandable that injuries kept him from getting a spot on a team, but he should have gotten at least one vote for the work he put in on the defensive end last season.
Luckily, Ball will have the entirety of the offseason to get healthy and strengthen his lower body. If he can stay on the court next reason for more than 47 games next season, there’s a good chance he finds his way on one of those teams.
Until then, enjoy Ball’s best defensive highlights from last season courtesy of our friends at House of Highlights:
