Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James defended Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball after his Tuesday night game.
James told the media the following, according to ESPN:
So, can I draw any parallel to my experience? I mean, of course. I guess when you’re drafted to a franchise, they want you to kind of be the savior. And it takes a while. I mean, listen, man, this guy is 20-something games into his pro career. S— doesn’t happen [that fast]. 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.
If there’s anybody who knows about high expectations, it’s The King. He entered the league when he was 18 years old, and was instantly expected to save Cleveland. The craziest part for James is the fact he had arguably the greatest rookie season in the history of the NBA. He was borderline unstoppable even as a teenager playing against full-grown men. That’s incredible.
Ball hasn’t been off to as hot of a start for the struggling Lakers, but he’s still putting up very respectable numbers for a rookie. I’m inclined to agree with LeBron on this one. People have put a world of expectations on Lonzo, and he’s just not there yet. Any other rookie has his very solid stat line and people would say it was good for a rookie. They just expect more out of Lonzo. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it does setup a situation where fans can be easily disappointed.
I’m still a big believer in his abilities, and still think he’ll be a dominant pro.