When you are a rookie playing with the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks, there is a ton of pressure not just from the fans, but also from the media.
But Tony Parker doesn't think Lonzo Ball has it as hard now as he did when he was still a rookie for the San Antonio Spurs. Parker talked about it with Tom Orsborn of My San Antonio before the Spurs took on the Lakers.
“When I came in, we were trying to win a championship,” he said. “And that’s a lot of pressure on an everyday basis to be consistent and to perform.”
Parker also said it wasn’t easy trying to live up to the high standards set by “Five-oh (David Robinson) and Timmy (Duncan).”
“Rookies in L.A. and New York, yeah, there is pressure to be a good player,” Parker said. “But championship pressure, I think, is more.”
When Tony Parker came into the league, the Spurs were competing for a championship, but there was also more star power around him to deflect the attention away.
For Ball, he has all the pressure right on him, and although the Lakers aren't playing for a championship right now, he is the talking point after every game.
As a 19-year-old rookie, Parker averaged 9.2 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. The Spurs that year made it all the way to the West Semi-finals before being eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers.
For Ball, his stats as a rookie have looked similar, but more complete. He is averaging 10.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.
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