Lonzo Ball started his Cleveland Cavaliers tenure in a preseason duel against his former team the Chicago Bulls.
While the Cavaliers lost 118-117, Lonzo's arrival in Cleveland is already looking like one of the best choices the Cavs could have made. During the preseason, the Cavs limited Ball's usage and playing time, keeping in line with their expected cautious approach to his health. Cleveland views Lonzo as a playoffs game-changer, making his preseason play an afterthought for the coaching staff.
Last season, Ball returned from a two-year recovery from a major knee injury. When he returned to the Bulls, he continued his role as an efficient passer and offensive engine as well as a defensive anchor and tireless rebounder. With the Cavaliers, all of these proven skills will help shape the team's ceiling. Adding another veteran playmaker behind Darius Garland will take much of the offensive burdens off him and help maintain the offensive fluidity head coach Kenny Atkinson introduced last year.
After walking away from Sixth Man of the Year finalist Ty Jerome this summer, the Cavaliers' standing among critics and commentators has lessened for bench strength. Despite the arrival of Ball, Thomas Bryant and Larry Nance, Jr., Cleveland's bench additions have not been a major talking point through the summer.
Lonzo Ball is finally starting to earn his respect
In the newest NBA General Manager survey, front office leaders across the league answered a vast array of questions.
At the top of the article, the Cavaliers were selected as the second-most likely to win the NBA Finals, behind only the reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder ranked first with 80 percent, leaving the Cavs with just 7 percent of the votes. Still, the Cavaliers led the way in many other categories.
The NBA's survey ranked the Cavaliers as the favorite to run the most efficient offense in the league this year after doing so last year. Lonzo Ball, though, earned a unique individual accolade among GMs. In an offseason retrospective question, the survey asked for the most underrated offseason acquisition.
Unsurprisingly, the unexpected Desmond Bane trade to the Orlando Magic led the charge with 17 percent. Cam Johnson's arrival to the Denver Nuggets and Kristaps Porzingis joining the Atlanta Hawks took spots two and three, respectively. Locked into a four-way tie at fourth place, Lonzo Ball was ranked as the most underrated player acquisition by seven percent of the general managers who answered the question.
Cleveland's newest point guard is only getting started
Darius Garland's offseason surgery will sideline the All-Star point guard to begin the regular season, elevating Cleveland's need for Lonzo's veteran leadership and skillset.
Though the Cavaliers will rest Lonzo during back-to-backs, he will likely see a temporary increase as a primary playmaker ahead of Garland's return. Since Ricky Rubio's exit from Cleveland years ago, the Cavs have never found a reliable backup offensive coordinator for Garland. When Rubio was in wine and gold, the Cavaliers' offense was noticeably more consistent across lineups.
Ironically, the more votes received in the survey, the less truly underrated that acquisition will be. Lonzo tied with John Collins to the Los Angeles Clippers, Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets, Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers and Luke Kornet to the San Antonio Spurs. As Ball enters his first Cavaliers season, his overall production and utility will serve as proof that only seven percent of NBA general managers recognized how much he adds to the depth chart.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the 2025-26 regular season with a roster built for success beyond 82 games. Lonzo Ball, though not an All-Star acquisition, is exactly what the Cavaliers will need to tap into their potential to make 93 general managers wrong about the NBA Finals outcome.