Lonzo Ball was supposed to help supercharge the Cleveland Cavaliers' offense this season, but he's been struggling mightily in recent weeks. As of this writing, Ball is registering the fifth-worst true shooting percentage by a Cavs player in a season of all-time. His 43.4% TS% ranks ahead of only DeSagana Diop, Anthony Bennett and Ira Newble.
In his last four games, Lonzo is averaging a stunning 2.0 points on 16.6% shooting from the floor. He's only made a shot in one of his last four. Cavs fans of course want to continue rooting for him, but it's hard to deny he's been a black hole offensively.
Defenses have been able to sag off Ball entirely, shrinking the floor and making life harder for the Cavs’ primary creators. When a guard can't punish open looks like this, everything downstream suffers.
The timing simply couldn't be worse. Cleveland has been a massive disappointment this season relative to expectations, and they need someone, anyone, to give them a true game-changing spark.
Donovan Mitchell continues to carry a heavy scoring load, while Garland’s rhythm has come and gone depending on health and lineup stability. Evan Mobley's continued offensive growth is dependent on spacing and clean entry angles, and Ball’s struggles undercut all of that.
Lonzo Ball also has the 5th worst shooting season of this century.
— Jaylon Tyson Fan Club (@IsaacOkoroFan) January 5, 2026
He is legitimately having one of the worst offensive seasons of my entire lifetime. https://t.co/qv4idna9nS pic.twitter.com/BQhZXvX42T
Lonzo Ball has been dreadful offensively
The Cavaliers have remained competitive, but it's still been a struggle. With Mobley and Jarrett Allen anchoring the paint, the team’s size allows them to grind out wins even when the offense stalls. But that formula has its limits. In the modern NBA, you can't survive extended stretches of ineffective guard play, especially in late-game situations.
This has naturally sparked questions about rotation adjustments. Cleveland has experimented with different lineups and staggering Lonzo's minutes, but none of their tweaks have fully solved the issue. There's definitely some level of pressure to figure this thing out with Ball before it becomes too late.
Then there's also the human element. Lonzo's journey back to consistent NBA minutes has already been long and difficult. Teammates continue to support him, and the locker room loves his presence. But at some point, availability has to be paired with legitimate impact.
The Cavs can't afford to wait indefinitely for a turnaround while chasing postseason positioning. Whether that means a reduced role or exploring alternatives, something has to give with this situation.
Ball’s talent and instincts didn't vanish overnight, but right now the Cavaliers are paying the price for hoping they would be what they were before. If Cleveland wants to reach its ceiling, tough decisions may be on the way in short order.