Lonzo Ball Defends Historically Bad Season

Cavaliers salary dumped Ball, Jazz waived him, and no one wants him now.

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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Lonzo Ball is having one of the worst shooting seasons in NBA history, with a 30.1% field goal percentage and 27.2% from 3-point range. However, Ball claims he "doesn't feel like I'm playing as bad as people are saying" and that he's "the scapegoat right now." The numbers tell a different story, as Ball's shooting woes are some of the worst of his career.

Why it matters

Ball's shooting struggles have led to him being salary dumped by the Cavaliers and waived by the Jazz, with no teams currently interested in signing him. His inability to take accountability for his poor play raises questions about his self-awareness and willingness to improve.

The details

Ball is shooting a historically bad 30.1% from the field and 27.2% from 3-point range this season. He's also only hitting 66.7% of his limited free throw attempts. While he did average 3.9 assists per game with the Cavs, his overall production has been a major liability. Shooting is an individual skill, and Ball can't blame anyone else for his poor shot selection and execution.

  • Ball made these comments on his podcast this week.

The players

Lonzo Ball

A point guard who is having one of the worst shooting seasons in NBA history, with a 30.1% field goal percentage and 27.2% from 3-point range.

Craig Porter Jr.

Emerged as a backup point guard for the Cavaliers, helping to bail the team out from having to play the struggling Ball.

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What they’re saying

“I don't feel like I'm playing as bad as people are saying... I'm the scapegoat right now.”

— Lonzo Ball (Lonzo Ball's podcast)

The takeaway

Ball's inability to take accountability for his historically poor shooting performance raises concerns about his self-awareness and willingness to improve. His deflection of blame onto being a "scapegoat" is not supported by the statistical evidence of his struggles, which have led to him being salary dumped and waived by multiple teams.