NBA: Are the Lakers dead in the water without Lonzo?

The LA Lakers, even without a winning season, have stayed in the spotlight though most of the first 3rd of the NBA season. This is in large due to 2 star Rookies, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma.

Through the first 37 games, the story of the Lakers has been how much of a steal that Kuzma was at 27 and how bad Lonzo's in-game shot has been. The Lakers are nearly the youngest team in the NBA by play-time and roster and its shown on the court. Even with this being the case, one thing that wasn't quite noticed was how much of an impact Lonzo Ball has on the other players on the court.

The Lakers offence relies on the pick and roll and motion. In this flowing offence, the ball handler is required to make the best basketball play each possession and not rely on isolation-type plays. In the early part of the season, even if players weren't hitting their shots consistently, they were getting great looks. This is in no small part due to Lonzo Ball's ability to see the open man, and make the proper pass when driving or just handling the ball around the perimiter.

Since Ball went out due to shoulder injury, its been apparent that the Lakers ball handlers don't have the vision to consistently hit skip passes out of the pick or the cutter. This has caused Ingram's drives to suffer as he is purely relying on beating his man, and most of the rest of the team to put of less efficient (and many times rushed) shots.

One thing is certain, the Lakers cannot perform well without a backup ball handler. This also could be a key issue the Lakers face next season when they are looking to refine the roster to put pieces together to get to the playoffs.

This Lakers team has an exciting future, and fans that are on for the long haul have several things to be excited for. Lonzo Ball is proving this in his absence.