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Los Angeles Lakers: Paul George speaks highly of Lonzo Ball

By Kenneth Teape

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25 Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to the media before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 25 Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to the media before the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 25, 2017 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball received high praise from Oklahoma City Thunder star forward, Paul George.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been struggling mightily recently. Wednesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder was no different, as the Thunder blew the Lakers out of the STAPLES Center.

The Lakers, to be fair, haven’t had their full complement of players. Brook Lopez was back for the first time since December 18th. Lonzo Ball remained on the sideline with his shoulder ailment. Kyle Kuzma is battling a quad issue.

At full strength, the Lakers would have their hands full with a team such as the Thunder. Without their full complement of players, the Lakers had no chance.

The Thunder Big 3 of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony crushed the Lakers. They pushed the team to a big lead, which they used to cruise to victory. Even rookie Terrence Ferguson had a coming out party, as he scored 24 points in his first career start.

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The person Lakers fans were paying attention to was George. The Lakers are hoping to land George as a free agent this upcoming offseason. George himself has not quelled those rumors, as he confirmed he would love to play for his hometown Lakers earlier in the week.

The Lakers have plenty of young talent to entice free agents this summer. Brandon Ingram has grown in his second season. Kuzma has been great as a rookie. The player who could draw the most attention from potential free agents is Ball.

Ball is a transcendent point guard. His size gives him a great advantage over opponents. The passing skills, court vision and playmaking he brings to the table is something that players would love to play alongside.

Ball has some flaws in his game, such as his shooting form. However, there are plenty of people that are fans of Ball and his playing style. One of those players is George.

"“I think people are kind of down on him because he doesn’t wow you statistically,” George said. “He can every so often, but that’s not the caliber of player he is, especially right now.“But as far as a basketball player, man, he is, at his age, one of the best basketball players that has played this game. He just has a knack to play the game the right way. His ability to just make plays without it leading to an assist for him, but just to get the offense going, he’s all-around just a great basketball player.”"

That is some high praise from George. Ball has shown to be a great teammate in the early going of his career, as the Lakers have fallen apart with him sidelined. His prowess offensively has been missed, along with his performance defensively.

While Ball wasn’t lauded for his defense coming out of UCLA, he has proven to be a solid team defender as his size can give some opponents fits.

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Without Ball, the Lakers have struggled on both ends of the court. He could get back in time for the Lakers next game, and they could really use him. Los Angeles currently has the worst record in the Western Conference and only the Atlanta Hawks are worse in the NBA.

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