Early in the season, the outspoken LaVar Ball has kept his mouth shut about the way Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton handles his son, rookie point guard Lonzo Ball. However, the elder Ball is having a hard time keeping opinions to himself as he expressed his views about how Walton is using his son during crucial stretches of the game. In the Lakers' 107-102 win over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, Ball scored just nine points on 3-of-13 shooting, but he made up for his lack of offense by issuing nine assists and grabbing five boards in 35 minutes of action.
According to LaVar, Walton should play Lonzo the whole fourth quarter to help the Lakers win as the rookie will get into a better flow of the game. “The in and out, sitting out six to 10 minutes? He's not going to take no shots because he's not in the flow. He doesn’t want to hurt the team by shooting,” LaVar told Bleacher Report.
LaVar wants Lonzo to take more shots
At the same time, LaVar is encouraging his son to take more shots, instead of just focusing on distributing the ball to teammates. "You've got to shoot the ball,” LaVar told Lonzo, who took just 15 attempts in their 124-112 win over the Brooklyn Nets Friday but made only three field goals. Walton, for his part, said Lonzo is still adjusting to the NBA’s kind of play, adding the rookie should start as a role player before working his way up.
The head coach also praised Lonzo’s poise and for not trying to force shots in crucial stretches of the game. In 10 games this season, Ball is shooting 29.9 percent from the floor, making just 35-of-117 field goal attempts.
Brook Lopez dominates in Lakers’ win
Center Brook Lopez followed his 34-point performance against the Nets with a 21-point effort in the Lakers’ win over the Grizzlies that improved their record to 5-5.
Lopez made 7-of-14 shots and added four assists and two blocks, Brandon Ingram added 20 points while rookie Kyle Kuzma tallied a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards for the Lakers. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jordan Clarkson chipped in 15 points each while Julius Randle had 12 points and eight boards off the bench.
Tyreke Evans led the Grizzlies with 26 points off the bench, Mike Conley scored 23 points, Marc Gasol had 15 points, 10 boards, and seven assists while Dillon Brooks added 10. The Grizzlies dropped to 6-4 after losing three of their last four outings after an impressive 5-1 start. The Grizzlies also lost to the Orlando Magic and the Charlotte Hornets recently.
