Before labeling them as gods and heroes, it is important to let rookies grow and develop. Lonzo Ball would be no different for the Los Angeles Lakers
Hercules. Zeus. Lonzodor? Destined to play for the Los Angeles Lakers since birth. Ruler of the Lonzonians! His power of superior vision and creating opportunities for others has protected the land of Lonzonia for thousands of years. But now, as he is tasked with leaving his home and donning the purple and gold, he stares down this harsh reality:
Rookies don’t have an instant impact on struggling franchises.
Lakers fans expect Lonzo Ball, the former UCLA guard with supernatural abilities, to exert his gifts and restore the franchise to instant dominance. However, despite having the potential talent to be a long-term answer for a franchise, it is rare for rookies to have immediate success in the NBA.
Looking back two years ago, D’Angelo Russell, experienced similar expectations. The touted guard with ice-cold shooting provided Lakers fans with moments that wowed us, even more moments, that didn’t. Consequently, Russell’s ‘iced veins’ might not be cold enough as he constantly finds himself on the hot seat.
Expecting rookies to possess the physical and mental disciplines of an eighty-two-game NBA season is unrealistic. In fact, since the era of the mid 90’s to the current game today, there have only been two players that contained these disciplines : Kevin Garnett and LeBron James.