Well, that was really bad. We have a relatively easy schedule coming up so he needs to settle himself down, focus on all the things he does well, and keep shooting until he gets confidence back.
I could see how a casual fan, after watching a national televised game, would conclude that Lonzo is a bust.
That was an awful showing from Ball. We need to get this guy a mentor, someone that can talk to him when theyre in the bench. Calm him down a bit, get him to play more loose, less thinking. Can't wait for all the bust talk to start up again. It'll be worse now since they'll be comparing him to Simmons.
He might need some rest to be honest, he has hardly anything on those bones and playing starter NBA minutes all of a sudden.. it's got to be a lot to handle for a young buck with all the people watching with high expectations, or low expectations from the doubting crowd..
2 point games are inexcusable for #2 overall picks. Unless he’s dropping 15 dimes, grabbing boards and playing great defense at the same time. But he wasn’t he was freakin terrible. I realize patience will be required with him, but I don’t have patience for 2 point games. I love that he’s a pass first PG, but in the NBA you can’t only do one or 2 things, you HAVE to score to be effective. Can’t hit a 3? Add a floater, take a mid-range shot, get to the rim and get free throws, ANYTHING.
This is not going to cut it. Grab 8 boards, have 11 assists if your shot is not falling, but... this time he did not contribute at all.
didn't watch this one, but that shooting has been just terrible all year long. and yes, we should be concerned about that.
When a player is in a slump the shot is usually off by a little. Kind of like how Julius is missing those gimmes. Lonzo's shot is off by a mile. It's in his head and it needs to be addressed asap. Talk to Kobe, talk to Magic, talk to a psychologist..... anything to snap out of it.
Shot is still very off and is finishing ability around the basket is still...nonexistent. I'm more disappointed in his mannerisms out there then his play though. Kid looks shot mentally, not into it.
He doesn't play like a 6'6 player. No lift. I've seen him dunk, otherwise I'd say he couldn't. He's nowhere near ready to dunk in traffic. With his regression, he'd be a G League candidate if he weren't the #2 pick.
The reason why people love Kuzma is simple... he is the first rookie since JC that doesn't absolutely suck in his rookie season. Its amazing how all our really high draft picks come in and play like garbage.
Holy moly you guys are upset! The kid is obviously struggling with his jumper and that's affecting his game quite a bit. Relax though, the kid has tremendous talent. Everyone can have a stinker. He still generally is a tremendous affecter of the game. Take a step back from this game and look at the numbers among rookies: 3rd in steals 2nd in assists 4th in rebounds 4th in blocks His only real problem right now is his scoring. He's got to get aggressive. I'm with @lakerfan2 I don't want him out of the game, I want someone (one of our "player friendly" coaches) to get in his ear and make him be aggressive. Go to the basket. If you don't get the whistle, go harder next time. Take a page out of Ingram and Kuzma's book. Those two are some of the least physically imposing players in the league, but they go hard at that basket and make you foul them or give up a basket.
Maybe I'm giving Zo too much credit here, but again I don't think its in between the ears. The dude has been remarkably poised since he's come onto the scene. You can't be mentally weak and have the ability to do that. So even as a 20 year old rookie, he handles the pressures of the game surprisingly well. IMHO, its his shooting mechanics, not his confidence that is shook. Even if the shot starts to fall, those shooting mechanics are not sustainable in this league. Due to the zenith of his J being so low, as he ages, he can't continuously outjump the opposition. Thank goodness for his height, otherwise, alot more of those Js would be swatted or deflected. You guys also notice that he does a step back in most of his shots, increasing the distance between him and the opposing player...again to avoid the blocked shot. He had a limited window in college as a one and done guy, but also factor in that you don't have the freak athletes playing on the collegiate level, as you do in the NBA. Things are only going to get harder for the kid. Due to his funky release, its almost like he's catapulting the shot and since its coming in hot, the shot doesn't hit the rim soft (ie "shooters touch") and there's no consistentcy to how it hits the rim (ie majority of attempts come up short/go long, come off the rim to the left/right, etc) which tells me its almost like he's wildly flinging it to the rim. He clearly needs to hit the gym to get stronger (both upper body and core) and better conditioned. But most importantly, he needs to get in the gym to construct a more sustainable shooting form. I'm sorry, it's way too funky and wild to have any longevity/consistency in this league. That being said, the shooting form needs to be revisited at the end of the year and hopefully with his current form, he can start knocking a few down so that he has the options of penetrating more (which is what I'm most disappointed with at the moment).
