Lakers News: Lonzo Ball to Make Preseason Debut with LeBron James vs. Warriors

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The Los Angeles Lakers announced Tuesday afternoon that point guard Lonzo Ball would make his preseason debut in Wednesday’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors. 

Ball has yet to play this preseason as he recovers from offseason knee surgery.

It will be the first time new Laker LeBron James and Ball appear in a game together.

“That’s one of the things I still need to see that we haven’t had is what lineups look like when both of those guys are playing,” head coach Luke Walton said on Saturday, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com.

James has appeared excited to get Ball back in the fold

It’s about that time Young King,” he posted on Instagram Monday. “Let’s Get it, you was born for this moment!!”

He also spoke about how having both Ball and Rajon Rondo available would improve the bench unit and ensure a natural ball-handler was always on the court.

“You got two born point guards, [two guys] born to be point guards, running the show,” he told reporters. “So it just puts people in their right positions. They command that. So, absolutely [Lonzo coming back helps].”

While Ball, 20, has his ups and downs as a rookie, there’s no question he’s a vital part of this team going forward. He flashed excellent playmaking and rebounding skills, averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game, and his ability to blitz teams in transition and facilitate for his teammates leads to easy buckets.

In that regard, he’ll take pressure off of James, who will consistently be the team’s focal point in the halfcourt.

Ball had serious shooting struggles, however, making just 36 percent of his shots from the field, 30.5 percent from three and shooting a woeful 45.1 percent from the line. If he continues to struggle mightily from the perimeter, he’ll be an awkward fit next to James, who likely will spend a lot of time as the primary ball-handler in the halfcourt. If defenders can sag off Ball to collapse on James, it will clog up the lane. 

Still, Ball is actually best served off the ball in the half court, as he’s an excellent cutter and in his UCLA days was a player who routinely hit his open looks from the perimeter. Where he has more trouble is breaking down his defenders off the dribble or creating his own shot, a role James is better suited to handle.

Obviously, it’s possible that Rondo will win the starting gig and James’ minutes with Ball will be limited. But Ball is one of the young building blocks for the Lakers organization and will be given every opportunity to earn a major role. That process will truly begin Wednesday night.