In advance of their game against the Lakers on Wednesday, Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat has taken it upon himself to let rookie Lonzo Ball know that he will have his work cut out for him.
This all shockingly (read: not shockingly) started off with LaVar Ball speaking after the Lakers loss to the Pelicans. LaVar said that the Wizards better be ready because Lonzo would not lose twice in the same week.
Gortat took exception to this statement and fired back on Twitter like athletes do nowadays.
man….. pleaseeeeee!!! @JohnWall will torture him for 48min 😂😂😂😂
— Marcin Gortat🇵🇱 (@MGortat) October 23, 2017
This tweet ended up making its rounds across the Lakers team and Brandon Ingram addressed it after practice on Tuesday.
Ingram: “We def saw it. The competitor in Lonzo, he didn’t take it so well & w/ his teammates behind him, we didn’t take it so well.”
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 24, 2017
Ingram on Zo: “Everyone is going to attack him b/c of who he is & what he does on the floor so all we can do is have his back everything." https://t.co/comDERWy1y
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 24, 2017
NBA players saying that Lonzo will have a target on his back due to his father’s actions is nothing new.
Fans saw how engaged and ferocious LA Clippers guard Patrick Beverely was when getting a crack at Ball on opening night. Ingram staying right beside his teammate is exactly what he should do. It is important for teammates to be ready to fight for each other no matter what and statements like this will go a long way in building a strong team culture.
Ironically enough, none of the chatter seems to phase Ball, even as a rookie. He knows that people are going to compete hard against him and he is going to do all he can to help get a victory because, in his eyes, that is all that matters. Ball will look to tune out the noise and lead the Lakers to their first home win of the season against one of the best point guards in the league.
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