Luke Walton Explains Decision to Bench Lonzo Ball During Loss to Raptors

Lonzo Ball and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers starters were benched late in the fourth quarter of Friday's 101-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors in a teaching moment by head coach Luke Walton.

Speaking to reporters after the game (via ABC News), Walton said he was unhappy with the team's effort on transition defense against the Raptors:

"I took the starters out a little early in the third because they didn't get back in transition defense, which is our No. 1 key to being a good defensive team. We talked about how important that third quarter was with the momentum of the game changing and them being a playoff team, so we can't afford to give those up. So as a teaching lesson, we took them out a little earlier than I normally have done.

"Unfortunately, we didn't get back on defense again with four minutes to go in a close, winnable game."

After coming into the NBA with a mountain of hype as the No. 2 overall pick by the Lakers, Ball has looked like a rookie.

The 20-year-old phenom is averaging 10.2 points, 8.4 assists and 8.6 rebounds per game. His 31.3 shooting percentage ranks last in the league out of 130 qualified players, and his 3.2 turnovers per game is tied for the seventh-worst rate among qualified point guards.

Ball said his struggles to find his shooting stroke won't deter him.

"I am going to keep shooting," Ball said. "It is going to start falling."

Los Angeles ranks 25th overall with 111.4 points allowed per game, but it stands ninth in defensive rating (102.4), per Basketball-Reference.com.

Ball and the Lakers will have a chance to get back on track Saturday night when they travel to Vivint Smart Home Arena for a matchup with the Utah Jazz.