Heading into the Los Angeles Lakers‘ first Summer League game, there were plenty of hype surrounding rookie point guard Lonzo Ball.

However, Ball struggled in his debut, scoring just five points on 2-of-15 shooting from the field including 1-of-11 from 3-point range with five assists, four rebounds, two steals, one block, and three turnovers in the 96-93 overtime loss to the L.A. Clippers.

This created much criticism toward Ball because of how much he struggled on both ends of the floor. It also led to several current and former players across the league coming to the 19-year-old's defense.

https://twitter.com/brandonjennings/status/883604075446587393

In all fairness, it was just his first game in the Summer League since being selected with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. There were bound to be nerves and anxiousness to start it off with a strong performance.
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It was an outing where he could take away many lessons such as not setting for shots, and moving more to get his teammates involved. These are things he could simply improve on with more experience and patience on the floor to get into his comfort zones.
There is certainly much pressure on Ball's shoulders to lead the Lakers to success, but it's a process that will have a few bumps along the way as he transitions to playing in the NBA.