The Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford to lose Lonzo Ball and should not trade him this offseason.

When the Los Angeles Lakers selected Lonzo Ball with the second pick in the 2017 draft, many people expected greatness. We have yet to see the UCLA product put it all together, but we have seen is glimpses of how special he can be.

If the Lakers decide to ship Ball as part of a package for Anthony Davis, or to another team with interest such as Chicago or Phoenix it will be a huge mistake.

I will begin by stating that the key to Ball’s success will be remaining healthy. Over his first two seasons, Ball has missed a combined 65 games with an ankle injury this year and a knee injury in his rookie season. As of now, many are labeling Ball a fragile point guard with some reasoning.

As a rookie, Ball struggled from the field (36%), but his impact was felt everywhere else. Ball averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals. You look at these statistics and it’s clear that he can do many things that people believed he would coming out of UCLA.

Going into year two, people expected for Ball to that next step. But then the signing of LeBron James changed things a bit. Playing with James as a primary ball handler is a daunting task especially as a 21-year-old.

To begin the season, Ball was inconsistent. In the first two months of the season, he averaged 8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. It was evident that Ball was struggling as he has never experienced having to be “off the ball” so much.

Things changed for the better over the last two months (Dec/Jan). Part of it was James being sidelined with a groin injury, and the other was just being more comfortable playing alongside The King. Ball averaged 11.6 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds over the final 25 games. In that stretch he shot 34 percent from deep, making nearly two per game.

On Jan. 19 against the Rockets, Lonzo Ball sprained his ankle causing him to miss the final 35 games of the year. Over those 35 games, the Lakers went 12-23. A terrible second half to the Lakers’ season made many believe in Ball’s impact even more.

This was what ex-Lakers coach Luke Walton had to say in February when Ball was out with injury.

If they want to run any pick and roll minus the center, the 1-5 pick and roll, we can just switch it. And we feel confident Lonzo can guard most of the other players there.

With Ball off the floor, the Lakers defense was among the league’s worst. It’s easy to see why as Ball allowed shooters to make only 31 percent of their shots off the dribble, putting him in the 92 percentile. His ability to defend nearly every position on a switch is something no point guard with the exception of Ben Simmons can do.

Overall, Lonzo Ball ended the season averaging 9.9 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals. Ball’s final numbers were a slight dip from his rookie year mainly due to the fact that his minutes went from 34 to 30. One big positive is that Ball’s field goal percentage jumped from 36 to 41. In his career, he has an impressive 2.7 assist/turnover ratio. Everyone knows how special of a passer he is.

An area Ball must improve in his free throw shooting despite a small sample size. Ball made only 20/48 (41%). It’s strange considering that Ball shot 67 percent at UCLA.

So far in his career, Ball has a “Draymond Green” type of game from the point guard spot at this stage. After making only 42 percent of his two-point baskets, Ball upped that to 48 percent, which is a fascinating sign. If he is more aggressive, it is realistic that he can put up around 15 points per night. You combine that with incredible defense, playmaking, and rebounding, and you got a potential star.

Whatever you do, don’t trade Lonzo Ball. Hopefully, Jeanie Buss realizes what she has before it’s too late.