Arguably the most hyped and scrutinized rookie last year, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball could play the first minutes of his sophomore season on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. If Ball feels great following his recovery from a knee injury, Lakers head coach Luke Walton says he could let the 6-foot-6 playmaker play limited minutes for the team.

Despite losing the first two games of their preseason schedule, the Lakers have shown exciting glimpses of their new run-and-gun offense. Despite some obvious flaws and sputters, the Lakers' offense has been looking surprisingly more fluid than expected early into the season. With premier playmakers LeBron James and Rajon Rondo already running the show, Ball's return should give the team a much-needed boost on both ends of the floor.

Already one of the best at what he does, Ball's development as a point guard will definitely improve with Rondo and James mentoring him each day. Ball will feel the pressure of being alongside these players, but the 20-year-old guard out of UCLA has the strong mindset to thrive under this situation.

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RealGM's Jonny Auping wrote about how Ball's decision-making will help him be a solid contributor for this James-led Lakers team:

The player Ball would be best served to evolve into is a more athletic version of late stage Jason Kidd, who was blessed with a basketball IQ that might have matched that of James. Kidd developed into a good spot up shooter who would have thrived next to James. Most importantly, he never needed the ball for long portions of the shot clock. He made the right decision immediately.

As scrutinized as his shooting form is, Ball has no choice but to drastically improve his perimeter shooting especially now that he will be forced to have more off-ball opportunities.