Thanks to the non-stop hype machine that is his father LaVar Ball, only greatness is expected from Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball. But it’s not just LaVar that thinks so highly of his son. Team president Magic Johnson believes Ball is the point guard of the future for the Lakers and even traded away incumbent starter D’Angelo Russell to open more playing time up for the rookie.
However, despite all of the hype surrounding Ball, his Lakers debut at Las Vegas Summer League did not go according to plan.
Ball struggled with his shot, going 2-for-15 from the field and finished with just five points. He also had three turnovers and was a dreadful 1-for-11 from three. Ball also was abused in the post on one play by Clippers big man Brice Johnson and he missed two good looks from behind the arc in overtime, which could’ve allowed the Lakers to win.
Since this is the age of social media, Ball was quickly lambasted on Twitter for his rather uneven performance in his first ever game:
https://twitter.com/JakeM0NTGOMERY/status/883541845451649025
Sooo Lonzo Ball was ass? What a surprise 😒😒😒😒
— Gods Burner🥸🕵🏾💧💯 (@AmazingRellDini) July 8, 2017
Lol at Lonzo Ball and his dipshit dad. Better than Curry and Jordan huh? Lmao
— Charlie Manning (@Cmann34) July 8, 2017
But while Ball definitely has his detractors, he does have a big supporter in former NBA All-Star Baron Davis, who took to Twitter to defend the Lakers rookie:
Yall stupid for hating on Lonzo. haters for real. No bball IQ. Just writing for page views and clicks.. just wait n see what he do
— Baron Davis (@BaronDavis) July 8, 2017
Davis did go to UCLA just like Ball did so this all could just be a show of support for his fellow Bruin. But Davis is also right.
This was just one game and Ball showed flashes of the potential that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. He will likely improve and get more comfortable as Summer League continues.
Plus this is Summer League not the regular season. If Ball struggles during the season then there should be some cause for worry. But until that actually happens, there is no need to discredit Ball for one poor performance at Summer League.
