Lonzo Ball is playing the best basketball of his career. Not coincidentally, he’s also the healthiest he’s been in his NBA career. Ball’s current string of 34 consecutive games played is the second-longest streak in his brief NBA career.
In each of his first two seasons, Ball had lengthy injuries that prematurely ended his season. Last year, that injury came in mid-January and kept him out the full season.
Following his 15-point outing against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, Ball was asked about the impact his health has on his game.
“Without a doubt. Out of my three years, this is for sure the healthiest I’ve ever been.”
After a groin injury earlier in the season that briefly sidelined him before a stomach illness caused him to miss a pair of games, Ball returned on Dec. 1 and hasn’t left the rotation since.
Since the start of December, Ball is averaging 12.1 points, 7.0 assists and 6.7 rebounds while shooting 36.7% from beyond the arc. He’s started the last 28 of those games and has a net rating of 0.2 in that span. With Ball off the court in that span, the Pelicans have a net rating of -3.4. Only Derrick Favors, Josh Hart and Jrue Holiday have bigger on/off differences over the last 34 games.
The extended stay in the rotation has also allowed Ball to find a role on the court. It’s the most comfortable he’s looked during his time in the league and, not coincidentally, the best he’s shot from the three-point line as well.
