Taking a closer look at what Ball brings to Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers may not be breaking up their core four, but they needed to improve around the margins. Trading Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for guard Lonzo Ball was a step in the right direction.
Ball’s health struggles are well-documented, as he has only played 70 games in the last four seasons. In the 35 games he played last season, he showed that he still has the playmaking and defensive acumen that made him one of the more underrated guards in the league. The Bulls had a +6.1 net rating with Ball last season and a 110.1 defensive rating as well.
Ball’s ability to push the pace and set the table for others on offense is an upgrade from Okoro’s skill set. Both are strong defenders, but where they differ is their ability to create live-ball turnovers, a key element that Ball will bring to the Cavs this coming season. Take a look at this play.
Franz Wagner attempts to seal Ball for a wing post-up, but Ball reads the pass from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and deflects it to Zach LaVine. Now, Chicago is off to the races with Ayo Dosunmu running the floor for an easy dunk.
The Cavs found themselves struggling to get stops against the Pacers and having someone like Ball who can get steals and allow them to push the pace to get easy baskets will be beneficial. Ball is great at reading the eyes of the passer and getting steals or deflections off of those reads. Take a look at this play against the Clippers.
Ball sees James Harden drive down the lane and knows he has two options: either he goes up with the reserve layup or he dishes it off to Mo Bamba or Derrick Jones Jr. Ball does a good job of staying in the middle of both of them, and as Harden jump passes to Bamba, Ball jumps up for the steal. He then advances the ball to Josh Giddey, who gets a transition basket.
Part of the reason why the Bulls were second in the league in pace this past season is because of plays like this. Ball creates a turnover and they are off to the races. The Cavs need a defensive identity and we saw how the Thunder’s ability to turn people over led them to a title. Ball helps Cleveland’s defense and offense because it creates chaos and easy baskets.
Speaking of easy baskets, take a look at this play against the Pacers.
Ball starts on-ball on Bennedict Mathurin. Mathurin swings it to Haliburton, but Ball stays in the passing lane one pass away. Nembhard then ghost screens and flashes to the top of the key. Ball knows Haliburton is not taking a deep contested three with ten seconds on the shot clock and as soon as Haliburton squares his shoulders to Nembhard, Ball is already thinking steal. He gets it and then has an easy transition layup.
These are the kinds of winning plays that the Cavs need off the bench, especially in the playoffs. Ball’s knack for creating turnovers and pushing the pace fit right in with the style of team Kenny Atkinson wants. Atkinson wants a rotation full of ball handlers and defenders. Ball brings that off the bench and this will be key for the Cavs next spring.
Cleveland made this trade with the playoffs in mind. Okoro is a great regular-season “innings eater”, but the Cavs need more reliable playoff players. Yes, Ball hasn’t been to the postseason, but his skill set is exactly what Cleveland has been missing in the tight series they have been in.