Lonzo Ball Shooting The Lakers Out Of Playoff Contention?

Expectations were particularly lofty for Lonzo Ball when he was drafted No. 2 overall in June by the Los Angeles Lakers. The burgeoning point guard was considered a savior for an organization eager to finally make a serious run at the playoffs after four straight seasons of landing in the draft lottery, with team president Magic Johnson going as far as to claim that Ball can potentially have his jersey hang one day from Staples Center rafters.

Many had pegged Ball the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors after he captured the Summer Leauge MVP. He confirmed some of the hype earlier this week when he became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, an honor that previously belonged to LeBron James.

But after 15 games, the Lakers are still lagging in the Western Conference and Ball may not be quite the contributor the team had hoped. Though scoring was never considered part of Ball's main strengths, his paltry 30.3 field-goal percentage may have some wondering if his questionable shot selection will mean the Lakers miss out on the playoffs once again. The Lakers have a 6-9 record and are in 10th place in the West.

On Wednesday night, the Lakers were defeated by the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers, 115-109, after Ball shot just 1-9 from the field, with many of his shots well off the mark. In a sloppy first quarter, Ball was replaced by substitute Jordan Clarkson with the Lakers trailing, 24-13. With Ball on the bench, the Lakers would end the quarter on a 13-5 run and Ball would later sit for the competitive fourth quarter.

After the game, Ball conceded that his play wasn't good enough.

"Usually I don’t let my shot affect me, Tonight I feel like I did. Missed some layups. Bad night," said Ball.

Ball's poor effort had carried over from Monday's game against the Phoenix Suns, when he shot just 3-10 from the field. Head coach Luke Walton had Ball on the bench in the fourth quarter against the Suns, as well, as L.A. edged Phoenix, 100-93.

Ball has been dogged by poor shooting for almost the entire season. He has converted more than four field goals in a game just three times and has two games with five turnovers, perhaps confirming worries that he wasn't going to be as NBA-ready as some had anticipated.

The struggles may be getting to the 20-year-old. On Thursday, Walton said Ball was a "not the same playful, joyful Lonzo he normally is," according to the Twitter account of Los Angeles Times reporter Tania Ganguli.

However, there are still 67 games remaining, which means Ball has plenty of time to develop more patience with his shots and improve on his technique. Even as a UCLA freshman, Ball was chided for his unorthodox shooting style, though he still managed to shoot 55.1 percent from the field.

He also has displayed the court vision that so many like Johnson have been quick to point to as a building block for success. In his first season, he is No. 8 in assists (6.9) and his 2.7 turnovers per game are better than experienced point guards like Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Damian Lillard and Eric Bledsoe.

“What we know he’s going to become requires a lot of work, and a lot of growth,” Walton said Wednesday. “He’ll get there, and there’s going to be some ups and downs on that path.”

Ball got a vote of confidence from Walton on Thursday, with the coach confirming that the rookie will remain the starting point guard.