Veteran point guard Lonzo Ball is currently a free agent after being traded and subsequently waived by the Utah Jazz. Believing Cleveland to be an ideal fit, he joined the Cavaliers this past summer, only to be exiled after becoming the scapegoat for their failures.
“I don’t feel like I’m playing as bad as people are saying,” said Ball on the ‘Ball in the Family’ podcast. “I’m the scapegoat right now, but that comes with the name, and that’s what they brought me in for. I’m not gonna say I’m playing great, but, to me, I’m just missing shots. People are like, ‘Oh, he’s shooting 25%,’ and it’s like, let’s take those percentages and talk about what that is. That’s four shots a game, and I’m making one. Shitty, but I promise we’re not winning or losing games based on four shots. Can I play better? Yes. Have I been playing terribly? I don’t think I have.”
As a former second overall pick, Ball once had All-Star ambitions in the NBA. He was hailed as a versatile two-way playmaker at UCLA, with elite ball-handling and playmaking skills that could run an offense. After a brief stint with the Lakers, he hopped to several different teams before a series of injuries halted his development.
It began with a torn meniscus in the 2021-22 campaign that led to three different surgeries before opting for a cartilage transplant. In total, Ball missed over two full seasons before he took the court again, where he missed time with a sprained wrist shortly thereafter. When he eventually signed with the Cavs this past offseason, he hoped it would be the place he could revive his career.
Instead, it could be the lace where it ended. In just 35 games with the franchise, he put up 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 30.1% shooting from the field and 27.2% shooting from three. Those are abysmal numbers for Lonzo, and a far cry from what he was doing on the Bulls, when he was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game on 42.3% shooting from the field and 42.3% shooting from three.
While Lonzo was only averaging five attempts per game in Cleveland, his performance was bad enough that he couldn’t even finish out the season. Even worse, the tanking Utah Jazz had no place for him amid a season where they had nothing else to lose. That’s the ultimate sign that Lonzo’s career may be done, at least until he can prove that he deserves a roster spot.
With such an extensive injury history, it’s no wonder why Ball’s game has seen such a serious decline. While he may not think that badly of his recent play, he’ll need to be better if he wants to extend his NBA career. As it stands now, he’d be hard-pressed to find any team willing to offer a deal on his current production.
