Lonzo Ball showed that he can still be an impactful player for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Lonzo Ball experiment has not gone as planned through the first half of the season.
While the guard has still been a solid defensive presence and playmaker when on the floor, Ball has really struggled with his shot. He’s even been a DNP eight of the last 16 games to help him stay healthy and fresh, while also paving the way for Craig Porter Jr. and, at times, even Tyrese Proctor to get playing time over him.
Even with all of the struggles this season, there is still a good player in Lonzo Ball, and the Cavaliers got that version of him in their impressive win over the Orlando Magic on Saturday evening.
Ball played 24 minutes in the second half of a back-to-back and ended up scoring six points, dishing out two assists, grabbing eight rebounds, and logging three steals. In the end, Ball's impact results in a +/- of 5.
This is the version of Lonzo Ball the Cavaliers need more of. He doesn’t need to be a high-volume scorer with this team. Instead, they need him to do the little things like grabbing boards, finding the open man, and playing strong defense, which is exactly what he did against Orlando.
Jan 24, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) passes the ball around Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva (23) during the second half at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn ImagesEven Kenny Atkinson noted how big an impact Ball made on the team in his time on the floor.
“That was the Lonzo I saw with the Bulls. I felt like he had a lot of pop tonight [against the Magic],” explained Cleveland’s head coach.
“He looked, [and] moved really well. We were playing him a lot of games before, so maybe this little break helped him, I'm thinking, because he did look like just a fresher athlete. But you saw the IQ, you saw the defense, the steals, obviously, and, you know, the guy’s a 40% career three-point shooter.”
Even with Ball’s struggles this season, Atkinson still sees Ball as playing a key role for this team down the stretch and into the postseason, too, and the veteran showed what type of impact he can have against the Magic.
“I've been saying it all year. He's gonna help us in the big games. He's gonna help us in the playoffs,” finished Cleveland’s coach.
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