Lonzo Ball struggles anew as Lakers fall to Timberwolves in NBA preseason opener

Debuts might not be Lonzo Ball's specialty. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie had a tough time again when his team lost to Minnesota Timberwolves, 108-99, on the first day of the 2017 NBA preseason. Ball just had five points in 36 minutes on the hardwood. He shot 2-of-9 from the field and 1-of-5 from the three-point area. It is not all bad for the 19-year-old as he tallied seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.

Lakers fans should not worry about Ball's performance against the Timberwolves. During this year's NBA Las Vegas Summer League, he did not have the best debut as well. In a 96-93 overtime defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers, the 2017 second overall pick just listed five points (2-of-15 shooting). However, following that game, he redeemed himself as he tallied a few triple-doubles on his way to winning the MVP award.

Expected leaders struggle too

Los Angeles has a young team, but among the developing prospects it has, there are those expected to lead aside from the veterans. On the current roster, Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance Jr., and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are some of the young players seen as leaders.

Unfortunately, versus Minnesota, they too struggled like Ball.

Ingram, who is viewed by many as the next face of the franchise for the Lakers, only scored 10 points in 22 minutes of action. He had a rough shooting night as well going 4-of-15 (1-of-5 from long range). Caldwell-Pope and Nance failed to have a significant impact for Los Angeles. The former Detroit Pistons guard just recorded four points, while the high-flying forward just had one field goal to finish with three points, though he grabbed nine boards. Hopefully, together with Ball, all three of them can bounce back when they take on the Denver Nuggets for their second preseason outing. The game is on October 2 at the Staples Center.

Early Big Three

If there are those who struggled, there are players who also emerged for Los Angeles. Leading the pack was rookie Kyle Kuzma who is dubbed by many as the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft. Kuzma came off the bench for the Lakers and in 26 minutes, dropped a team-high 19 points. The second-leading scorer for the purple and gold franchise was Julius Randle who listed 15 points.

Besides Kuzma, there was another player from Los Angeles' second unit that joined the double-digit scoring club. It was Jordan Clarkson who contributed 14 points for the Lakers in a losing effort.