Following a performance that helped guide the Los Angeles Lakers to a nice win, head coach Luke Walton gave some well-earned praises for his rookie floor general, Lonzo Ball. Lakers beat writer Bob Garcia IV shared the comments on Twitter:
Luke Walton on Lonzo Ball's impact: "He impacted on both ends. He creates our paces. He fills the lanes for us. He impacted the game on both ends. He had 11 asts and 1 turnover." #lakeshow
— Bob Garcia IV (@bgarciaivsports) January 10, 2018
Walton Lonzo Ball some love should be great news, particularly for Lakers fans, as they are continuously hearing Ball's outspoken father, LaVar, publicly share critical views on Walton's ability to gather the team.
What matters most now is that Ball has his coach's trust and full support despite all the outside noise. It's also good that he's in rhythm again just three games after coming back from a shoulder injury (sidelined for the six previous outings).
Though shooting remains to be an issue, the Lakers rookie showcased his usual stat-stuffing ways against the Sacramento Kings this past Tuesday. In the Lakers' 99-86 win, he posted a stat line of five points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, and five steals, becoming only the third player in NBA history to have 10-plus boards and dimes along with five steals in a game before turning 21. It was a good follow-up to what he did on Sunday, when Ball contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists to the Lakers' 132-113 beatdown of the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
The Lakers and its fans should be encouraged by their prized point guard's play and quick recovery, especially since there's a mountain of work that still needs to be done. Currently 13th in the Western Conference, the Lakers got hit by another ugly stretch in December (went 3-11 during the month), identical to what happened last season.
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