LOS ANGELES _ A year and a half ago, the idea that the Los Angeles Lakers defense was struggling because Lonzo Ball was out might have been a hard sell.
Ball came into the NBA with many doubts about his defense. But in his second season, Ball made his presence felt on the defensive end, and the Lakers have missed him dearly since he suffered a Grade 3 ankle sprain last month.
They began the season with the goal of being a top-10 defensive team and made progress toward that goal. In November, their defensive rating was third best in the NBA, at 103.4. In December it was ninth best, at 106.7.
In the past nine games with Ball sidelined, their defensive rating has been 119.6, third worst in the NBA.
"He allows us to switch a lot," coach Luke Walton said. "If they want to run any pick and roll minus the center, the 1-5 pick and roll, we can just switch it. And we feel confident Lonzo can guard most of the other players there. We have Lonzo picking up full-court the other team's point guard. He's great at instincts, getting deflections. A lot of the schemes don't change, but our aggression and a few of the switching schemes change without him out there."
Ball's rehabilitation has been going well. He's begun running on an underwater treadmill and is progressing toward running on an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill.
Ball initially thought he'd broken his ankle in the Lakers' Jan. 19 game in Houston, but the X-ray revealed no fractures. He was on crutches for less than a week and was able to remove his walking boot shortly thereafter. An MRI the next day confirmed a ligament tear, which was expected to keep him out four to six weeks.
Ball hasn't traveled with the team or been on the bench at home games, instead focusing on rehabbing. He's been missed.
"Getting Zo back into the mix is going to be one thing," Kyle Kuzma said after Sunday's loss. "He's had a hell of a season defensively and we kind of feed off of him. He's picking up 94 feet, getting stops all over the floor, making great defensive instincts."
