When Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball came out of college, there was one thing that pretty much everyone was in agreement on concerning his game: he was a terrific playmaker. You know who else agrees? LeBron James.
After the Lakers' win over the Charlotte Hornets in which both James and Ball notched triple-doubles, James had high praise for the second-year floor general, likening Ball's playmaking ability to his own.
Heady praise from LeBron for Lonzo Ball: "We’re one and the same when it comes to our playmaking ability. We’re always looking for our teammates and that’s the greatest satisfaction we can have when we see our teammates score the ball."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 16, 2018
That's a big compliment from one of the best playmakers in the league and one of the greatest players to ever step on a basketball court.
Lonzo Ball finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, and five steals in Los Angeles' 28-point road win and flashed incredible potential, throwing some pinpoint outlet passes and exhibiting spectacular floor vision.
The 21-year-old has struggled a bit this season, averaging just 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.4 steals over 28.5 minutes per game while shooting 38.1 percent from the floor, 30.2 percent from three-point range, and an abysmal 56 percent from the free-throw line. In addition, he owns a rather poor minus-5.9 net rating.
However, pretty much everyone knew Lonzo Ball was going to experience some growing pains, especially when the Lakers basically turned their entire roster over during the summer. It's not like they just went out and added some role players, either; they added the best player in the league in LeBron James, a guy who is also notoriously difficult to play with due to his style.
For a second-year player still finding his footing, it seems safe to say that Ball is making solid progress.
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