LOS ANGELES_Luke Walton liked what he saw when Lonzo Ball went from facilitator to finisher in crunch time Monday night, the Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard scoring seven of his 16 points in overtime of a 116-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Staples Center.
Ball scored the Lakers' first five points of the extra period, hitting a 26-foot, step-back three-pointer and a 14-foot pull-up jumper from the right elbow to tie the score at 107. His driving layup over Jordan Bell gave the Lakers a 113-112 lead with 1 minute 3 seconds left.
After Kevin Durant's 22-foot jumper gave the Warriors a two-point lead with seven seconds left, Ball drove the length of the court before his layup was blocked by David West in the final second.
"It was awesome," Walton said after Tuesday's practice. "If he took those same shots and missed them all, I'm still good with that, because we want him being aggressive, especially down the stretch of games, in fourth quarters, in overtime.
"He's such an unselfish player and has such a great feel for the game that sometimes he'll get lost out there as far as looking for his own (shot). I think part of what's gonna make him an even greater playmaker is when he's scoring the ball as well, and defenses can't just play passing lanes."
Could Ball's finishing flourish have been inspired by the presence of one of the NBA's best all-time closers, Kobe Bryant, who was sitting courtside on the night his jersey numbers were retired?
"Nah," Ball said. "I was just taking what I saw."
Twenty-eight games into his NBA career, Ball is searching for that balance between attacking the basket and distributing the ball, one of the many challenges NBA rookie point guards face.
"He plays the toughest position in our league," Walton said. "There's so much you have to know. 'What one of my teammates hasn't had a shot in a while? Does (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) like shooting coming off right, coming off left? Where does Julius (Randle) like catching the ball?'
"There are so many things that go through a point guard's mind at this level, it's tough to pick out one thing and say that's the toughest for him."
Finding a comfortable release, rotation and rhythm on his jumper has been tough for Ball, who is shooting 33.9 percent from the field and 27.5 percent from three-point range. But the Lakers are encouraged by Ball's past three games, in which he made nine of 20 three-pointers.
"The way he shoots in practice, the way he shot at UCLA ... he's a good shooter," Walton said. "As a 19-year-old rookie coming in, there's a lot of pressure. The three-point line is different, people guard you different, the length and speed (of opponents) is different.
"And every time you miss a shot, the entire media world comments on that you can't shoot. So I think for him, it's been getting comfortable, finding his groove at this level."
