Rookie point guard Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers is trying to figure out how to get his skills to transcend on the NBA level while also dealing with the added attention of being the son of the controversial figure, LaVar Ball.
Despite all the negative attention he gets due to wild claims and predictions LaVar has made over the past few months, Lonzo has kept a positive attitude as he tries to develop into the leader on the floor for the Lakers. Following the loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, forward Marcus Morris talked about Ball and was sympathetic to what the rookie has to deal with, via USA Today.
“He's a good kid — it's his dad,” Morris said. “He's got a big mouth, everybody knows it. … He has a long time to do this. He's a young guy. It kind of sucks that he's gotta go everywhere and they just boo him and boo him and boo him. He's just a regular player.”
At 20 years old, Ball has seemingly already come to terms with the fact he's got a target on his back while also having the tremendous pressure of potentially being the next superstar player for the Lakers in the post-Kobe Bryant era.
Although Ball has struggled to get things going in the scoring department this season, the rookie point guard has brought a new dynamic to this Lakers team which desperately needs to turn things around. Ball's pass-first mentality and effort on both ends of the floor has become contagious on this squad which has resulted in Los Angeles playing well over the course of their first 11 games.
Whether Ball can continue to deal with the pressure, negativity, and added attention sent his way remains to be seen, but he appears to be handling it better than most considering the circumstances.
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