Lonzo Ball Media Availability – July 28, 2020

On having Zion Williamson rejoin the team at practice today:
“We’re happy to have him back. Obviously, he puts our team at full strength. We’re a lot better with him than we are without him, we know that, so having him back to start the games back up is great for us.”

On the reason for his improvement this season and where he thinks his game can go in the bubble:
“I think just constant work. I think I have a good coaching staff behind me, great training staff and great teammates as well, so it’s a collective unit pushing me every day. Just come lead the team and to get into the playoffs is my goal for the bubble.”

On the difference with Assistant Coach Fred Vinson in charge of the defense in Orlando instead of Associate Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik (who did not travel with the team):
“Obviously, we try not to have any differences. Coach Jeff is our defensive guy, but Coach Fred is doing a great job of taking the spot over for him. For us, I think it’s just about effort. We have the guys that can stay in front. We have the guys that can stop the ball, contest at the rim, so it’s just a matter of being in the right spots. I think a big part of our defense is talking. When we talk we tend to play pretty well.”

On how the five-on-five scrimmages at practice have helped the team prepare:
“We know we don’t have any time to warm up, we’ve got to win as many games as we can in these next eight, so we’ve tried to make the practices as game-like as possible, and I think that’s prepared us for the scrimmages, and it’s prepared us for the games that we need to win.”

On what he thinks the team’s ceiling is in the bubble after these three scrimmages:
“I think last night (win over Milwaukee) was a positive night, but I don’t look too much into scrimmages. I think we came out there and we did what we were supposed to do. I thought we got a little better, and that’s all that really matters. The real games start on Thursday and that’s what I’m focused on.”