– Lonzo Ball
It ended up being a tough debut for Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball. Going against the Clippers meant a matchup against one of the toughest guards in the NBA in Patrick Beverley. Early on in the game, Beverley played his typical physical defense on Ball and attempted to get in his head. To the credit of Ball, he did a nice job not letting Beverley bother him, but he didn’t have a great game against the talented defender.
In the loss, Ball totaled nine rebounds, four assists, and three points. Ball was only able to shoot 1-for-6 from the field, but he was very good helping out on the glass. Even though Ball struggled, seeing him help on the glass is certainly a positive takeaway from his first game.
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On Friday night, Ball will have another tough matchup against Eric Bledsoe. Like Beverley, Bledsoe is a good defender. Also, he will be more of a threat to score than Beverley was. Even though Bledsoe might not be considered an elite guard in the Western Conference, he is certainly a talented player. This game will be another tough test for Ball, as the Western Conference is going to be throwing tough matchups at him nightly.