Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball lives up to hype during NBA Summer League

The Los Angeles Lakers may have struck gold as Lonzo Ball clearly stood out amid all prior skepticism and over-analysis leading into the NBA Summer League.

The Los Angeles Lakers have just about the brightest future possible coming off their four consecutive losing seasons.

While they were seeing who fit into their system by trial and error last season, it’s clear there was no standout leader on the court.

Lonzo Ball has brought just that to the Los Angeles Lakers, even if it’s still just NBA Summer League.

After a disastrous debut in his first game, critics were quick to pile on when he shot 2-for-15 on the night. It did appear troubling to see the future star shoot an absolutely miserable 13.3 percent.

This was clearly just a bad night after months of ongoing criticism that he may not live up to the the hype.

The most infamous father in basketball, LaVar Ball has not exactly helped in relieving the pressure and steep expectations of his son. In fact, he has done quite the opposite.

While many wonder if his father is helping or hurting Lonzo’s case by making headlines nearly every day at this point, Ball is now making headlines with his performance.

Lonzo Ball’s second Summer League game was the first shred of living up to the hype that has been talked about nonstop throughout the past year.

Let the stats do the talking

Ball logged the first triple-double in NBA Summer League play since 2008. He finished the night with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

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Hardly a fluke by anybody’s standards, this kid has an outstanding and truly special ability passing the ball. While passing is such a fundamental part of a player’s skill-set, Lonzo Ball makes the most difficult of plays look effortless and does it time and time again.

How often do we get to see a guard throwing strikes to his teammate across the court in the perfect spot? The answer is not nearly often enough, but now it will likely be on a nightly basis when watching the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lonzo ball took a seat for during the third Summer League game, but did not miss a beat in his return for the fourth.

He absolutely dominated the Los Angeles Clippers’ defense, putting up 36 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds. Ball then posted another triple-double against the Cleveland Cavaliers, finishing out the night with 16 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds and five steals.

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He is proving to be an absolute workhorse and any doubts of this kid’s bright future should be silenced. The Los Angeles Lakers will be in good hands for years to come with Lonzo Ball leading the way.