The Lonzo Ball minutes were absolutely abysmal for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. In a nail-biting 114-110 loss to the Detroit Pistons, Ball's limited time on the court proved to be downright atrocious for the Cavaliers' aspirations of securing a win at home against their division rival.
In 10 minutes off the bench, the Cavs backup point guard gave them zero points, two assists, two rebounds, two turnovers, and one steal. Ball finished the night leading the team in a disappointing way. The 28-year-old posted the worst plus/minus on the squad, registering a -18.
In all fairness, simply watching for the plus/minus in the box score can skew interpretation. However, in this instance, pairing that with viewing the actual product tells the same story. Ball's struggles set the Cavaliers back a ton.
If it were an isolated instance, perhaps it could be ignored. However, the Cavaliers keep getting taught the same lesson over and over with Ball. The insistence on making the failing experiment work is becoming all the more concerning.
Lonzo Ball keeps getting opportunities the Cavaliers should’ve cut off by now
Craig Porter Jr. has proven himself to be the superior option as the backup point guard in Cleveland. That much leaves very little room for discussion until the results overwhelmingly tip from what they have been to this point.
In defense of Kenny Atkinson's minutes distribution, this was not exactly the issue on Sunday.
The Cavaliers were without Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade. Their starting center missed the game with an illness. Meanwhile, Wade was out with a knee injury.
That created playing time that needed to be filled. Sam Merrill and Jaylon Tyson moved into the starting lineup. Porter rightfully got the most minutes of any guard off the bench beyond that.
Atkinson likes going deep off the bench, though. In a 10-man rotation, Ball wound up being number 10.
Was that avoidable? Theoretically, it was. Tyrese Proctor could have gotten those minutes instead. However, the young Cavs guard has not proven himself as a definitively better option. The gamble here was ultimately understandable. It still proved to go bust all the same.
Ball saw his minutes in the second and fourth quarters of the game. That was when the Cavaliers looked their worst.
"It wasn't the right combination," Atkinson said after the game. "We just got to look at it. ... Obviously, the bench play hurt us tonight."
When that assessment does happen for the Cavaliers coach, Ball will be right at the forefront of those minutes. Whether that sticks out for Atkinson is something fans in Cleveland will have to wait and see.