Lonzo Ball - Future Star or Future Failure? The Jury is Out
The jury is out on UCLA's star point guard, Lonzo Ball, after his underwhelming performance against De'Aaaron Fox and Kentucky in the Sweet 16. Following Kentucky's win over UCLA, there were plenty of pictures and memes that epitomized what is like to be Lonzo Ball after a big loss. Here are just a few:
These reactions are certainly to be expected given this kid's circumstances. When you are constantly winning, all of America will praise you and love you. When you lose once, a sports community will turn their back on you really quick.
As a fan of Jason Kidd and all of Kidd's accomplishments as a New Jersey Net and his NBA finals win the Dallas Mavericks, I can only hope that Lonzo Ball can live up to his comparison of the NBA legend. The second coming of Jason Kidd is exactly what the NBA needs.
I am not a big proponent of mentioning some outside noise but I would be amiss to not mention Lonzo Ball's appearances with his father on ESPN's First Take and FS1's Undisputed television programs. On Undisputed with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, it was evident that the projected lottery pick did not want to be next to his dad or on the show, on that particuar day. At the very least, he took full responsibility for his performance against Kentucky. Any basketball fan wants to hear that from a projected lottery pick. Meanwhile, on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, I like that Lonzo Ball mentioned that he does not pay attention to the media, including what his own father says. I would not be surprised if some people in the nation feel bad for the young basketball player.
I guess you cannot be a Ball without making a comment that could potentially be considered controversial, however. Lonzo Ball has come out and said that he thinks he can come out and lead a team better than the project #1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Markelle Fultz. As a Boston Celtics fan, if the Celtics land the #1 overall pick, I want Danny Ainge to select the best available player. I am interested to see if the Celtics general manager believes that is Ball or Fultz.
At the end of the day, I am not mad at LaVarr Ball's hopes for a reality show and trying to cash in off of his son. In this modern-day age, you have to respect that hustle. I am just extremely displeased with the elderly Ball's outlandish comments. Some experts in the college basketball world have gone as far as to acknowledge that Lonzo Ball's father has checks that the point guard must cash upon his arrival into the NBA.
Lonzo Ball's unorthodox shooting form and tendency to being overly unselfish on the court are looked at as potential weak points in his game. Personally, I could care less about either one. Shooting form does not matter if the basketball consistently goes through the hoop off of the player's hands. Moreover, as a point guard, being "too unselfish" is not an issue; as long as Ball quickly learns the right times to attack and the right time to pass in the NBA.
I have made it no secret on Twitter that I despise some of the comments that Lonzo Ball's father has made but I do respect the kid and what he is capable of. Overall, I have not had a total change of heart about the projected lottery pick and I am not ready to call him the next Jason Kidd but he is a player that everyone must keep an eye on at the next level.
