Lonzo Ball made his NBA debut by playing for the Los Angeles Lakers summer league team against their hometown rival Los Angeles Clippers. It was not a great debut for Lonzo, who shot just 2-for-15 from the field and only hit one 3-pointer in the game as well. Lonzo also missed two straight shots that would have given the Lakers the lead in overtime.
Despite his poor play, his dad LaVar Ball was busy still trying to pump up fans when it comes to his son's NBA future. LaVar said that his son was not nervous at all and it is okay for a player to go 0-for-30 in a game as long as they hit the game winner.
However, Lonzo didn't hit the game winner and his Lakers lost 96-93.
LaVar Ball still talking championships
Fans can easily remember the LaVar Ball boasts after the 2017 NBA Draft. Ball said that his son will be the reason that the Lakers make it back to the playoffs this season. Last season, only one team was worse than the Lakers in the Western Conference and the year before the Lakers were dead last. According to LaVar, his son will lead them back to the postseason.
During the Los Angeles Lakers summer league loss, LaVar said that he has a way for the Lakers to not just make it back to the playoffs but win the NBA Championship. Not only did he say that Lonzo Ball already has the Rookie of the Year award "sewn up" but he said that the Lakers just need to pair of LeBron James with his son to guarantee an NBA Championship.
There have been a lot of rumors that LeBron James will opt out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers after the 2017-18 NBA season and head out West. Many believe he will end up with the Los Angeles Lakers. LaVar Ball said that the Lakers need to get that done because there is no reason that Los Angeles shouldn't give Lonzo the best player in the world to win championships with.
Lonzo Ball struggles
Of course, Lonzo Ball will have to play much better than he did in his first summer league game. In the Los Angeles Lakers overtime loss, Lonzo didn't even hit his first 3-point shot until the third quarter and missed two straight shots in overtime with less than 40 seconds left. This is normal for a kid playing his first NBA game but the spotlight shines brightly on Ball thanks to LaVar's mouth.
The 19-year-old rookie said that he hates losing and that will be his worst performance of the week. Lonzo Ball admitted that he was just missing shots and will work to improve. A lot of people will want to watch Saturday's game when Lonzo and the Lakers battle the Boston Celtics and their rookie Jayson Tatum, someone who might have something to say about the Rookie of the Year battle being over already.
