With a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers coming on Thursday for the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James recently commented about Lonzo Ball.
After a tough loss to the New York Knicks in overtime, the Los Angeles Lakers will have another challenging road game against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers got off to a slow start this season, but they have been playing much better of late. As the projected team to beat in the Eastern Conference when the season started, the Cavaliers are likely going to reach that goal this season.
On Thursday night, the Cavaliers will host the Lakers for the one and only time this season. This will be the final game of a four-game road trip for the Lakers, and they would surely like to end it with a win.
While the game itself should be an entertaining one, there are, of course, a lot of storylines surrounding LeBron and his upcoming free agency. Since the Lakers have cap space this coming offseason, they have been listed as one of the top possible destinations for LeBron if he did decide to leave Cleveland.
Recently, LeBron talked with Dave McMenamin of ESPN about Lonzo Ball and the pressures he’s facing as a rookie. Here’s what LeBron had to say.
"Here it goes again, it goes back to my instant oatmeal [quote]: Everybody wants it right away. Can he play ball? Absolutely. The kid can play ball. Do guys want to play with him? Absolutely, because it’s a guy who is not about him. It’s about the success of the team. And he gives the ball up, and he passes the ball, and there’s energy behind the ball.”"
Since his first game, there has been a ton of pressure on Ball to succeed. However, many forget that even some of the best players in the NBA didn’t have instant success as a rookie. Considering that Ball just turned 20-years-old, he is one of the youngest players in the league.
One thing that Ball is certainly already good at is setting up his teammates. So far this season, Ball is averaging seven assists per game as a rookie, which is an impressive number. Players certainly do appear to like to play with Ball, as his unselfish nature does rub off and become contagious. When the basketball is moving freely, it is a pretty thing to watch.
On Thursday, it will certainly be entertaining to see Lonzo and LeBron on the court for the first time.