The Los Angeles Lakers’ effort to bring in star players this summer relies heavily on their young core to impress throughout the season. While their record at the moment is abysmal, it appears as though the narrative around the Lakers may be slowly changing.
No player has been as hyped, by the organization or those around the NBA, as Lonzo Ball. The second overall pick has struggled heavily in his rookie season due to his poor shooting and finishing around the rim. Despite the scoring problems, Lonzo has turned heads around the league due to his all-around play.
First, it was LeBron James, Lonzo’s childhood hero, who spoke with the rookie point guard after a narrow win over the Lakers to give him advice. Now, it’s Paul George with high praise for the UCLA product:
Paul George on Lonzo Ball: "As far as being a basketball player, at his age, he's one of the best basketball players that has played this game. He has a knack to play the game the right way."
— Shahan A. (@shahanLA) January 3, 2018
Lonzo is pretty much the antithesis to George’s current point guard. Ball is a pass-first point guard who has thus far been more impactful defensively than offensively. Westbrook shoots first and asks questions later while being a defensive sieve for most of his NBA career. Lonzo exudes quiet confidence despite his father’s antics and Russ talks trash and shows his passion all game. Both fill up the box score but do so in completely different ways.
Of course, one impressive youngster is not necessarily enough to bring in George, LeBron, or anyone else. The Lakers must prove that they have talent throughout the roster and that adding just one or two stars would vault them into contention. Right now, they appear to be far from that, but George’s love for LA may be enough to lure him in regardless.
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