NBA's Las Vegas Summer League just wrapped up and it looks like the hype is real. After taking heavy criticism for his first game, which was pretty bad, Lonzo Ball bounced back and started to prove just why the Los Angeles Lakers picked him second in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Lonzo earns MVP
Lonzo managed to put up two double doubles during his summer league play. Overall, Lonzo averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. With stats like that, it's no surprise that Lonzo was named as the Most Valuable Player of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this year.
Lonzo also managed to earn himself a summer league high with his average assists. While this is just the summer league and doing well in the NBA during the regular season can be a whole different ball game, many are speculating that Lonzo Ball may just live up to the hype.
Ball even ended up sitting out during the championship game. The Lakers said that Lonzo pulled a calf muscle so they benched him for the big game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Lonzo also sat out a game earlier in the 8-game season due to a groin injury.
Jud Buechler, who coached the Lakers team in the summer league, said that he was happy to see Lonzo Ball win the MVP award. He described the Lakers rookie as "incredible" before praising Lonzo for creating a great environment for the team to come together and win.
Lonzo's shoes get all the attention
After Lonzo Ball's summer league performance, it looks like Los Angeles Lakers fans are even more excited to see the UCLA alum join their team. With Lonzo coming in to take over at point guard, he is earning a lot of praise for his ability to lead a team.
Lonzo proved during the summer league that he will share the ball and that he has amazing passing skills.
The only thing getting more hype than Lonzo's game play would be his choice of shoes each night. Fans expected Lonzo to rock his own Big Baller Brand shoes, which retail well over what a typical pair of Nike or Adidas shoes would cost at $495.
He never wore his own shoe though, opting for Adidas, Nike, and even Jordan brand shoes while playing professional basketball.
Is Lonzo shopping for a new shoe deal? It seems that offers might be pouring in pretty soon considering how many are paying attention to exactly what Ball has on his feet each night. If he keeps playing at the same high level, Lonzo may want to just wear his own Big Baller Brand shoes. If he can play in those and continue to perform, those shoes could make him more money than an NBA contract.
