Lonzo Ball assumes veteran leader role for undermanned Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers were heavily depleted on Wednesday night against the Miami Heat.

The team was without superstar guard Donovan Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland, sophomore guard Jaylon Tyson, guard Max Strus, who's been out since the start of the year, and forward Evan Mobley. Even with such a large volume of players missing, Cleveland stepped up to the challenge.

They thrived, especially in the fourth quarter as they put up 37 points and held the Heat to 19, cruising to a 130-116 victory on the road in Miami.

And one of the leading charges in the win was veteran guard Lonzo Ball.

The 6-foot-6, 190-pound guard dominated in 20 minutes on the court. He shot 4-of-7 from three-point range for 15 points while also tacking on a strong eight assists to help control the offense for Cleveland.

Lonzo Ball tonight:

15 Points
8 Assists
2 Rebounds
4/7 3PM
20 Minutes pic.twitter.com/JRIdIz4mzF
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 13, 2025

Ball joined the Cavaliers in an offseason trade involving the then-Cavalier, Isaac Okoro, being sent to the Chicago Bulls.

The move signaled that the front office for Cleveland was looking to go a different direction from the defensive and three-point shooting approach Okoro brought, wanting a more reliable veteran guard to tie together the offense.

While Ball does bring in deep-range shooting and defense, he also provides a stronger level of playmaking and offensive control.

“(A pass like that) is my role on the team,” Ball said. “It’s something I’m accustomed to doing.”

Early in the campaign, many Cavaliers have had to get used to the passing efficiency of Ball. His vision and zip on the ball are second to none in the league.

It's what has made him so special and important to team's offenses.

“Even in the half court, a couple times, guys just were not used to him,” Atkinson said. “He doesn’t take a lot of motion. He’s not a windup kind of kick-ahead (passer). He’s so strong and sees it early.”

On the season, Ball is currently averaging 6.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists a night on splits of 33.3% from the field and 31.3% from deep range. While he isn't scoring the ball at an elite rate this season, he is contributing in other areas that matter greatly.

Another reason for the lower numbers is a dip in playing time, coming in at 23.1 minutes a game off the bench. The two outings he started in were against the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, a win and a loss.

It'll take a bit more time for both Ball and the Cavaliers to get used to him being in Cleveland, especially due to his uncharacteristic play and slow return from a multi-season-long injury. But by the end of the season, he should be back in rhythm and playing back at his All-Star level play.

Cleveland looks keep up their pace with an 8-4 record as they hope to see more regular contributors return to the team from injury.