All the hype that built towards the draft about Lonzo Ball, and he didn’t disappoint in his first bit of action.
Despite battling a strained calf muslce throughout the summer, and (possibly) dodging De’Aaron Fox, Ball performed well. Even with sitting on the bench during the Vegas Summer League Championship game, he managed to take home Summer League MVP.
The Lakers hope that Ball’s MVP winning performance is a sign of things to come. If you ask Lakers legend and GM Magic Johnson, they are. While speaking with ESPN, Johnson appeared optimistic.
“You can see that. If he’s getting triple-doubles in the summer league, he is going to get triple-doubles in the regular season,” Johnson said.
Ball averaged 16.3 points on 38.2 percent shooting this summer. Along with 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game; he was a cut above the competition when he was on the floor.
Johnson continued:
“Lonzo is special, no question about it, because he makes everyone better.”
Expectations are high of Ball heading into this rookie season. Concerns linger about the mechanics of his shot, and the way top-level defenders will cover him. His 38.2 shooting percentage isn’t ideal, and will need to be improved upon if he wants to win Rookie of the Year.
His father has already guaranteed he’d do it.
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