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Andrew LopezESPN
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is no stranger to rumor trading. He spent an entire season with the Los Angeles Lakers to learn how he could potentially be treated before finally landing with the Pelicans in the summer of 2019. But when Ball tried to navigate a rough start to the 2020-21 season, began to change his name. whirl again in the rumor mill.
To his credit, however, Ball has responded with back-to-back standout performance. In Pelicans’ game against Washington on Wednesday, Ball had nine points and four assists while hitting three three-pointers in the first half while guarding Bradley Beal before rolling an ankle and missing the second half.
Ball returned to the action on Friday-evening, playing his best game of the season in a 131-126 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Ball had 27 points in the season (his high in a Pelicans uniform), tied a career high with seven 3-pointers, and had his second-best assist output of the season with eight.
“I’m just staying on track,” said Ball when asked if he had extra motivation this week. “I’ve been playing basketball for a long time. I’ve put in a lot of work and just try to play my game. That’s how I play. I just try to stay away from all the noise and just go out and try to help my team win matches. . “
Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said he had spoken to Ball earlier this week about being able to play through the noise and playing at a high level.
“Nobody likes distraction, but you have distraction all the time,” Van Gundy told reporters on Wednesday. “It’s trade rumors, it’s COVID, it’s family, whatever it is. Different voices. There is always distraction, and a big part of being successful in this competition is being able to block distractions and do your job.”
Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said on ESPN New Orleans radio on Thursday that he thought Ball responded with one of his best halves of the year against the Wizards.
“I think he just realized and was pigeonholed about his situation, it’s a good thing people are calling your name because it means you’re coveted by other teams,” Griffin told the radio station.
For Ball, the response meant playing with more aggression, something his coaches and teammates have been begging for all season.
Pelican Center Steven Adams, who had 20 rebounds against the Bucks, said when Ball plays aggressively and tries to get in the paint and looking to score, it just helps the whole offense.
“He did very well,” said Adams. Again, brother, with any player, as a defensive player, if you see someone with that body language, in terms of coming right up to you and taking those angles, it forces you to make a pretty drastic decision.
“It puts you in a bit of a difficult area. Instead of being passive, defenses can be like, ‘Oh dear, I can be passive too.’ Our guys were good at taking corners that made the defense turn and then we found the open man from there. “
The Pelicans finished with 32 assists in the season, and Adams gave Ball credit as the spark of Friday’s attack. It also helped that the pelicans fired shots.
Aside from Ball’s big night, his defensive partner Eric Bledsoe also had seven 3-pointers. According to ESPN Stats & Information investigation, Ball and Bledsoe became only the fifth starting backcourt in NBA history to hit at least seven 3-pointers in the same game, alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (three times), James Harden and Eric Gordon , Damon Stoudamire and Nick Van Exel, and Michael Dickerson and Cuttino Mobley.
While ball movement was key to the Pelicans’ success on Friday, the willingness to find the right shot also helped. And for Ball, it was all about taking the shot when it was passed to him. He was 6-for-9 on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, showing that he was willing to look open instead of looking to make the extra pass.
“We love to see it,” said Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. “When he shoots the ball with such confidence, even though he misses it, he just shoots it with the confidence that he will go in, that’s what we want Zo to do. “