Lonzo Ball's early play has grabbed NBA's attention
— -- They were legitimate questions. Sure, Steve Alford had just signed the nation's best pure passer, but would the UCLA head coach relinquish control of the offense from the incumbent point guard -- who also happened to be his son?
"It's basically all I heard," Bryce Alford said. "Lonzo's not going to get used right."
Ultimately, there was no decision to make. Not only was giving the keys to Ball the best decision for the program, one coming off a dismal 15-17 campaign, but it also turned out to be a clear win for Bryce Alford as well.
"My first three years all I've heard is, 'He's not a point guard, he's not a point guard,'" Alford told ESPN. "I was trying to prove myself as a point guard. To have Lonzo come in and take the burden off my shoulders is huge for me."
Ball has changed everything in Westwood.
The 6-foot-6, 190-pound freshman from nearby Chino Hills, California, has come out of the gates and instantly drawn comparisons to former NBA All-Star Jason Kidd with his court vision and passing ability. He's short on words but not production. Eight games into the season, Ball leads the nation in assists per game at 9.6 per contest and is also among the nation's leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.28.
But Ball is also doing something few who had seen him in high school and AAU ball anticipated: Despite funky form on his perimeter shot, Ball has connected on 47 percent of his 38 3-point attempts.
While Ball's perimeter shooting, and overall scoring (14.6 PPG) has been a pleasant surprise, it's his unselfishness and ability to make everyone around him better that has turned UCLA's offense into must-see TV.
"He's changed everything for them," one NBA general manager told ESPN. "He's just so different than any other point guard I've seen because he has the size, athleticism and, most of all, he just makes it easy for everyone else."
Said Bryce Alford: "I'm so much more efficient now with Lonzo on the floor."
His dad agreed.
"It's like a dog collar was taken off [Bryce]," Steve Alford said. "He's so free now. He's so much more efficient now, getting better looks."
Bryce Alford was scrutinized the past three seasons for taking ill-advised shots at a high volume. This year, his shot attempts are down, and after shooting less than 40 percent from the field in his first three seasons with the Bruins, he's shooting 46 percent this season.
The only other significant change in personnel in Westwood was replacing big man Tony Parker with skilled 6-foot-10, 225-pound forward? TJ Leaf?-- who is second on the team in both scoring (17.3) and rebounding (9.0) and is a difficult matchup because of his ability to step out and make 3s (8-of-16 on the season) and also score in the paint.
UCLA enters Saturday's tilt in Lexington against top-ranked Kentucky with no shortage of hype. The Bruins are 8-0, but there are still plenty of concerns on the defensive end of the floor. Are they tough enough? Do they really want to guard?
"Defense is the biggest thing for us," Bryce Alford said. "We can score, but we need to continue to improve on the defensive end."
UCLA wants to run and play fast. It's that pace where Ball is most effective, but it's also where Kentucky is most effective. While Ball has quickly established himself as one of the elite point guards in the country, and multiple NBA executives told ESPN that he's a lock to be taken in the draft lottery if he leaves college after this season, he'll be going up against another frosh who also could be selected in the first 14 picks come June.
Ball hasn't played against anyone close to? De'Aaron Fox?over the first eight games of his college career. Kentucky's floor leader has elite speed and athleticism and is coming off a triple-double (albeit a controversial one). UCLA's list of victims thus far isn't exactly a gauntlet: Pacific, Cal State Northridge, San Diego, Long Beach State, Portland, Nebraska, Texas A&M and UC Riverside have a combined record of 20-31 thus far.
The consecutive Sweet 16 appearances in Steve Alford's first two seasons at UCLA are a distant memory now. So, too, is the 15-17 campaign a year ago -- as well as Alford's decision to return his one-year extension last offseason.
Alford has reeled in players since arriving at UCLA in 2013. He got three top-75 recruits (according to RecruitingNation) in the 2014 class --? Kevon Looney?(No. 12), Thomas Welsh (36) and Jonah Bolden (69). In the next class, he signed? Prince Ali (41) and Aaron Holiday (88). The current freshmen class was critical, though, and not just because it featured a trio of in-state guys all ranked in the top 60.
But because it included Ball.
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