Although some see parallels between Magic Johnson and Lonzo Ball, Lakers’ great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is not as convinced at this point in time.
When the Los Angeles Lakers selected Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick in the draft this year, extreme expectations emerged. One could argue that words such as extreme are putting it lightheartedly.
Part of the reason for this is because of the Lakers’ four consecutive years without a postseason berth. By Los Angeles’ standards, this is uncharted territory. It is simply unacceptable.
Thus, by virtue of not being a patient, complacent bunch, some held onto the hope that the UCLA product would quickly become a sensation.
A lot of this hopefulness sprang up because of the way media tends to function as well. Given where Lonzo ended up, too, the questions are never going to slow down.
Moreover, it could also be said that the otherworldly hype materialized due to Lonzo’s father, LaVar. All summer long the latter glorified his son’s capabilities.
To some degree, the glorification made sense. Lonzo’s college stats were rock solid, and, in Summer League play, the then-teenager put up some star-level performances.
However, college and Summer League games are not quite the same as NBA games. In spite of Ball’s success in those instances, some still questioned whether he could make that next level adjustment.
That adjustment would come with yet even more pressure. Once Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson picked up the kid, Magic basically handed over the baton to that same ache-scarred kid. In doing so, Johnson also believed that Lonzo could bring back slivers of the style of play jumpstarted in the 1980s: Showtime.
Due to Magic’s elite stature in NBA history, such comments are hard not to pay attention to. Many consider Johnson to be the best point guard there ever was.
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Comments along these lines led many to think if Ball and Magic deserved to be mentioned in the same breath. After 19 games, another former Lakers’ legend does not think so.
In a recent conversation with Colin Cowherd, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar echoed why he believes the two are dissimilar. Harrison Faigen of Lakers Nation transcribed Cap’s thoughts regarding the debate.
"“Not at all. None. Different player, different approach to the game. Some of the same talents, but different players. Magic was able to rebound and once he got a rebound, that was also our point guard. So we could run. It really gave us the ability that other guards would not be able to do.“If I got switched off onto Magic’s guy because he got away from him, Magic could go in and defend my man, box him out and make sure he didn’t get the rebound. Then I was on the wing on the fast break. And we could play like that because I had that kind of skill, I could fit in there. When you’re on one wing and James Worthy is on the other, you have a good chance of having a good fast break.”"
If one thing is for sure, perhaps no team has ever been better at the art of the fast break than the Showtime Lakers. Thus, when Kareem describes how effective it was back in the day, it is not difficult to see where he is coming from. Case closed.
Abdul-Jabbar also brings up an interesting point when he refers to Magic’s defense. It is a plausible perspective since Magic is taller and bigger than Ball. As a result, one can certainly contest Magic bests the Lakers’ current point guard in that aspect.
On the other hand, Lonzo has by no means been a liability on defense. The young man is currently averaging 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks a game. It is crucial to point out because many claimed that Ball’s lack of lateral quickness headed into the NBA would be problematic.
Sure, Lonzo may never be as quick and sneaky as a guy like John Wall. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old’s effort on defense has been noticeable. It has not been nonexistent.
One small hole in Kareem’s assessment, though, is when the rebounding is alluded to. Indeed, Lonzo may not be quite at the same level Magic was at as a rookie. But it is darn close to the latter, who is only ahead by a 0.3 margin in that department.
It is fairly weird because the Lakers are a better team when Lonzo is rebounding the rock. When he does so, it quickens the pace of the offense. In such instances, the more aggressive version of Lonzo has been there at times as opposed to the passive one.
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Despite Abdul-Jabbar’s analysis being slightly off, he is not entirely wrong. On the grounds that Kareem played alongside Magic, too, it is easy to grasp why he values number 32 much more highly.
In all sincerity, comparing Magic and Ball is a stretch at this point. The Lakers have not even played one-fourth of their games yet. Ball is a rookie and Magic’s career has been in the books for over two decades.
In terms of Magic, as was said before, we are talking about someone widely acclaimed as the best point guard ever. Therefore, Lonzo should not worry too much about measuring up to those elevated standards. Yes, as paradoxical as that might sound, the So Cal native should not fret.
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Conversely, he should only be concerned with being the best version of himself. That will not take away the array of expectations—that is undeniable. His only true enemy, though, should be himself if there is going to be one.