The life of a rookie is often uneasy, filled with changes, adjustments, and a myriad of expectations to reach or surpass a supposed potential based on a position in the NBA Draft. For Lonzo Ball, being selected with the No. 2 overall pick by his hometown Los Angeles Lakers was both a blessing and a curse, coming with a never-ending wave of expectations and consequent criticism upon a rough start to this 2017-18 season.
Stephen Curry was drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2009, not quite as high as Ball, but with plenty to prove after many naysayers thought he'd be just another college sensation that would turn to rubble in the pros.
“Early in my sophomore and junior years in high school, there was a little extra pressure because of who my dad was,” Curry told ESPN's Chris Haynes. “And I felt like everybody was kind of critiquing my every move on the court, and I was already not getting recruited or anything. I was always playing to be recognized by coaches.”
“So, I had pressure on myself anyway.”
Ball has been highly-touted even out of Chino Hills High School, where he was lauded as one of the most-gifted passers of this generation due to his height, court vision, and feel for making the right play. Curry recalled that as he was coming up at the high school level, many would fill seats just to see him fail, instead of encouraging one of their own toward a prosperous career.
“Whenever you miss a shot, the crowd goes crazy, and only for your misses and nobody else's. The high school cheering sections going at me, and hounding me the whole game,” said Curry. “Even in college, the same type of deal. It rubs you the wrong way a little bit. I had to go through those experiences.”
Curry defended Ball yesterday, telling reporters that he hoped they didn't judge him as they had judged Ball through the first 20 games of the regular season. Yet the Golden State Warriors point guard gave just another bit of advice.
“But at the end of the day, I taught myself how to have a sense of humor about it and understand that it kind of comes with the territory of choosing the same sport that my pops played, and dealing with it that way. [Lonzo] can't let what people say bother him.
“Use it as motivation.”
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