Sometimes, the lead gets buried under noise. This has happened often with Lonzo Ball, who has been having a stellar rookie season -- but one that has been largely overlooked because of the attention paid to his father, Lavar. Ball leads rookies in triple-doubles and has come out of the gates with a game that compares favorably to rookie Jason Kidd. However, there was a catch. He couldn't shoot.
His shooting percentages were terrible from all over the floor for his first month-plus as a pro and, because of the spotlight that has been placed on him, that lack of a jumper is all that many people wanted to talk about.
A couple of weeks ago, Lonzo got hurt. As a result, he was out of the spotlight during the time window when his father was busy installing his brothers in Lithuania and making noise about setting up his own NBA development league. Lonzo came back to the court on Friday, but Lavar stole the headlines again with comments about Luke Walton, and whether or not the Los Angeles Lakers actually want to play for him. Everyone is paying attention to "The Lavar Show" and not seeing the forest for the trees.
Because when we weren't looking, Happy learned how to putt. Or, rather, Lonzo learned how to shoot. Uh-oh!
In six games prior to injuring his shoulder, Ball averaged 16 points (44.3 FG%, 50 FT%), 7.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.3 steals, 1.2 blocks and a whopping 3.0 made 3-pointers per game on 45 percent shooting from behind the arc. In the two games since Ball has returned to action, he has picked right up where he left off from downtown, averaging 12 points with 7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 3 made treys.
All told, Ball has made multiple 3-pointers in eight straight games. Yes, his free-throw percentage is still terrible, but he only shoots 1.6 free throws per game, so that can almost be forgiven. If Ball is going to shoot reasonably well from the field and knock down multiple treys a game -- on top of the nightly triple-double potential, then he suddenly goes from being a media "problem child" to an impact fantasy monster.
If you believe that his shot has been permanently straightened out, it could be worth sending out a Ball trade offer -- just to see if his manager is paying attention.
Sunday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs: 30 points (12-21 FG, 5-7 FT), 14 rebounds, 1 3-pointer, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block, 0 TO
Enes Kanter, New York Knicks: 13 points (6-13 FG, 1-2 FT), 18 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 4 TO
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers: 25 points (11-24 FG), 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 3-pointer, 0 TO
Lowlights:
Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: 5 points (1-7 FG, 3-3 FT), 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 TO
Tyler Ulis, Phoenix Suns: 7 points (3-8 FG), 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 3-pointer, 1 block, 0 TO, 32 minutes
Ricky Rubio, Utah Jazz: 4 points (0-6 FG, 4-4 FT), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 TO
Sunday takeaways
With Kawhi Leonard out of action (see below), Aldridge resumed his role as the main threat for the Spurs -- with Pau Gasol (16 points, 6-11 FG, 305 FT, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, 1 3-pointer) as his main lieutenant in the starting line-up. Kyle Anderson (available in 89.5 percent of leagues) was solid as the only healthy small forward left on San Antonio with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. The surprise was old man Manu Ginobili (available in 98 percent of leagues), who turned in 26 points (9-16 FG, 2-3 FT), 6 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 27 minutes off the bench on Sunday.
Kanter seems to have an inverse relationship to Michael Beasley. Kanter was having a great season, but when Beasley rose to prominence a couple of weeks ago, it came with a downturn in Kanter's minutes. Beasley was unable to play on Sunday due to a sprained ankle, and Kanter was back to his productive self with a monster double-double. If this relationship holds true, Kanter's value will certainly take another downturn when Beasley is healthy enough to return.
Nowitzki has been having a solid season for a guy in his forties but, some nights, there's just nothing in the old legs. One of those nights was Sunday. The Mavericks got very little from their starting frontcourt, and had to rely on their perimeter players and bench to pick up the slack. Harrison Barnes led the way with 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 3-pointers and 3 assists. All told, there were six Mavericks with double-digit scoring, as five other players all had between 11-14 points.
Injuries of note
Kawhi Leonard sat out Sunday's game with a partial tear in his left shoulder. The Spurs don't seem to believe the injury is serious, but Leonard should be considered "out" until more information comes in. Leonard's absence, in conjunction with injuries to Rudy Gay and Danny Green, could allow more playing time for Kyle Anderson.
Though he played through a right calf strain on Friday, Damian Lillard was a late scratch on Sunday. The injury is on the same leg as the hamstring injury that has bothered him of late as well. In his absence, Shabazz Napier (available in 92.6 percent of leagues) gets starting minutes and CJ McCollum retakes the lead role. At the opposite pole, a graphic in the Trail Blazers-Spurs telecast on Sunday pointed out that Jusuf Nurkic has shot only 32 percent from the field in games where Lillard has sat.
Blake Griffin left Saturday's game with a concussion. He should be considered questionable until more information is released.
Marquese Chriss had to leave Sunday's game with a right hip strain and didn't return. He has been playing well of late, so it would be a shame for him to have to miss time. However, the Suns don't play again until Friday, so he has a few days to recover. Consider him questionable until more information becomes available. If he does have to sit, look for Dragan Bender (available in 99.4 percent of leagues) and perhaps Josh Jackson (available in 90 percent of leagues) to get more playing time.
Otto Porter Jr. was unable to finish Friday's game after straining his hip, and the injury kept him out for Saturday as well. When Porter sits, Kelly Oubre Jr. (available in 78.3 percent of leagues) moves into the starting lineup, and both Markieff Morris (available in 70.8 percent of leagues) and Mike Scott (available in 97.7 percent of leagues) could be in for more action.
Analytics advantage for Monday
The Chicago Bulls allow the sixth-most 3-pointers per game in the NBA (11.2 per game). Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets make. by far, the most 3-pointers per game with 15.8 treys a night. The Rockets are missing James Harden, and are being led by Chris Paul. The main difference is that this means fewer of those 3-point attempts will come from the floor general and more will come from the role players on the team. This could bode well for Gerald Green (available in 66.3 percent of leagues) or Ryan Anderson (available in 72.4 percent of leagues), both among the streamable Rockets.
Top players to watch tonight
Blake Griffin left Saturday's game with a concussion, and no announcement has yet been made about his availability to play on Monday. Thus, I'm keeping an eye on Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan, both of whom would have to pick up the slack in his absence. Add in the fact that Williams is facing a former team in the Atlanta Hawks -- a team that has trouble against opposing centers like Jordan -- and both players could be in for big games.
Kevin Love was once the best player on a bad Minnesota Timberwolves team, and Andrew Wiggins was briefly thought to be the next big thing in Cleveland, back when the Cavaliers made him the number one overall pick in the draft. The trade that swapped those two players wasn't acrimonious, but it still catches my eye whenever these sides square off that both guys could have just a little bit more motivation than usual to perform.