Lonzo Ball needs to be more assertive as a shooter and a scorer according to his Pelicans teammate, 3-point sniper JJ Redick.
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Among the biggest criticisms of Lonzo Ball is his woeful finishing at the rim. Ball averages more points per possession as a spot-up 3-point shooter than as a driver. This makes his offense quite one-dimensional. To date, Ball’s highest scoring average for a season stands at 11.8 points per game.
The good thing for the Pelicans is that his skill levels seem to be trending up. Lonzo is an excellent playmaker when surrounded by the right pieces. The Pelicans team has some fascinating options to field alongside him like Ingram, Redick and Zion Williamson.
But even in the presence of such scoring threats, Lonzo will have to be more assertive as a scorer. If he doesn’t take a more aggressive approach, teams will be able to cheat off him to help on the likes of Zion.
JJ Redick speaks about Lonzo Ball being unwilling to shoot too much
Lonzo is a player who is selfless to a fault. The guy has always been surrounded by scorers and shooters better than him in his NBA career. But this lack of scoring responsibility has also stunted his development quite a bit.
JJ Redick wants him to assert himself more on the floor:
“”I tell him every f*cking day to stop passing up shots.”
While Ball has bulked up quite a bit compared to his rookie season, that hasn’t given him the confidence to finish over and around big men. Nearly all of his layups come in transition or against compromised paints.
To his credit, Ball’s shooting has come a long way from his rookie season and a hideous-looking shooting form.
