To begin the 2017-18 NBA season, Lonzo Ball has experienced his fair share of highs (two triple-doubles) and lows (31.5 percent shooting from the field and 25.0 percent shooting from the three-point line) with the Los Angeles Lakers. While some are concerned, they need to be reminded he recently turned 20 years old and has only played 19 NBA games.

In a time when point guards are dominating the league, Ball is learning the toughest position on the fly. As a result, head coach Luke Walton revealed why the rookie point guard is staying in the team's starting lineup despite the early-season struggles according to Tania Ganguli of Los Angeles Times:

“The benefit is he gets the game experience,” Coach Luke Walton said this week. “Whether it’s close games, it’s blowouts, it’s playing against top elite point guards that do different things. John Wall, as good as it gets at getting to the rim, a [Russell] Westbrook, a Steph Curry. So he gets all that in-game experience on the go and gets to learn from it all.”

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Through the struggles, Ball can learn from these experiences as Walton has been playing him major minutes in his rookie season. While his efficiency can always improve, Ball's pass-first mentality has helped the Lakers to an 8-11 record.

After a solid start to the new season, it does not get any easier for Ball and company. They will face the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets — the two best teams in the Western Conference — six times before the end of December.