Los Angeles Lakers: Could Next Season Be The End Of The Lonzo Ball Era?
A thought ran through my mind today: What if Lonzo Ball never pans out? What will the Los Angeles Lakers do then? This was just his rookie season, but he came nowhere close to fully grasping the NBA game. This is not UCLA where college players were in awe of his physical gifts. No, this is the big time where almost every player in the league was that special on their college team.
On the season, Lonzo Ball averaged just 10.2 points. But he has made up for that by dishing out 7.2 assists and grabbing 6.9 rebounds. The issue Ball and the Lakers are facing for the future is his shooting. What if Ball never reaches the level that Jason Kidd did after his dismal rookie year? With all the hype his father threw his way, it’s a strong possibility that he could very well become the next Michael Carter-Williams.
Carter-Williams was to become the face of the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers. But after a ROY season, the Sixers had enough and shipped him off. While the Sixers caught plenty of heat for that move, the Lakers could find themselves in the same situation soon enough.
Things got so bad in Los Angeles that Russell was shipped out for Ball, Clarkson and Larry Nance were traded and Randle may be gone himself in the Lakers are not careful. Then to add more salt to the wound, Brandon Ingram may lose his job to Paul George in 2018. These are players who actually were or is producing for the Lakers. So, what is Ball supposed to expect? His struggles could lead to a trade next year.
To add more intrigue to it is his father, LaVar Ball. Compared to Lonzo’s time at UCLA, the elder Ball has been quiet, but little by little he’s starting to make his presence felt. According to ESPN, the Lakers and LaVar had a meeting to discuss his criticism of Luke Walton. It’s one thing to have a top pick who can’t shoot, but to add an annoying father to the issues could lead Magic Johnson to wash his hands of the situation and start over, yet again.
Can They Lakers Depend On Lonzo Ball?
Johnson has it in his mind that the Lakers can still be a top free agent draw. And while he might be correct, truth be told, playing with Ball is not the reason players would don the Lakers jersey. Rookies struggle all the time, but it’s something about Lonzo’s struggles that are a bit different. It seems that many are praying for the fall of the young Ball, and while he has his supporters, he might be on thin ice in Los Angeles and may not even know it.
Look around at the playoff teams this season and there is one trend among the most watched teams. At the helm were rookies. The Utah Jazz was led by Donovan Mitchell who beat the Thunder and gave the Houston Rockets all they could handle. Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals after beating the Philadelphia 76ers who were led by another rookie, Ben Simmons. As the Lakers glance at stat sheets, they can’t help but wonder if Lonzo Ball is the leader they need him to be.
Yes, it’s just one season but why is that any different for Tatum, Mitchell, and Simmons?
The Lakers have a rich history of winning and a list of future and current Hall of Famers in Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Magic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant. With that history, are fans somehow supposed to watch Lonzo Ball stink up the court for four years or more? No. This is not how things work in Lakerland. And if Lonzo Ball doesn’t get it together, he may find himself in another uniform come trade deadline time.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
