Official Lonzo Ball Rookie Thread No. 1

[lamscott]

Can we stop with worthless age crap.

Dennis Smith Jr. is 19.

He needs to get in the gym and really start practicing like a pro.

He is a scorer no?
Lonzo is a passer ya?

Is Dennis Smith Jr passing at the same level Lonzo is? Is it because he is 19?

Passing at the same level? Com'on. He isn't even playing in the 4th quarter the last two games.

[Kilroy]

I'm starting to wonder if Lonzo would be a better Triangle PG than a Showtime PG... I think the rest of our team is more setup for Triangle than Showtime too to be honest.

The thing about Lonzo is, it's obvious he has the potential to be a star, but it's also obvious he's going to take longer than a lot of people thought to get there. Pass first PGs usually do take longer than score first player do... It takes a while to figure out the NBA to the level you need to in order to really effectively run an NBA offense.

The problem is, we're not built to bring him along slowly over the next maybe as much as 5, seasons (See Nash). We need him to have a big time impact now.
So how do we make that happen? Surround him with shooters? I don't think that's the answer... Our defense is keeping us in games right now and there aren't a whole lot of 'shooters' out their that play good defense...
And for whatever reason, we're not terribly quick in transition right now, so dumping it to a shooter for an easy 3 might be a pipe dream until we can figure out how to get out in transition better. We almost never beat the Defense back at this point.

So maybe the answer is to create a better half court offensive scheme to enable Ball to work better... Stop relying so much on Ingram Iso's to create space for other guys, etc... And go full textbook Triangle with Lopez and Randle sharing anchor duties...

It will absolutely never happen because Magic isn't a triangle fan... But with who we have on the court, maybe it should.

[timdunkit]

I still have faith in Lonzo. I still don't think he needs to change his shooting form when Kevin Martin had a similar form and had no issues. I think it's a bit in his head and I'm questioning his conditioning at the moment. And although Lonzo seems really laid back I think he's somewhat entitled. I doubt it's a great feeling when Kuzma is starting to steal a lot of his shine... especially when basically everyone anointed you the chosen one.

I think his game will come around. He just has to work harder. I've seen two pretty good games from Lonzo so that helps ease my worries a bit.

I agree, except with the fact that he's entitled since he's considered Kuzma as his best friend on the team.

People are too quick to jump the gun. We haven't reached the 20 game mark but his game is already getting dissecting as if he's a 4-5 year vet. Besides struggling to score, everything else has been good. His passing, for the most part, has translated and I've been impressed with his defense. The team looks more cohesive with him around. He's shown a lot of intangibles that most rookies don't show. This doesn't mean I think he'll be a star player but I think no matter what tier he reaches, he seems like a "winning" player.

Conditioning seems like it's an issue and it doesn't help that he has a bulls-eye on his back. His stoic personality seems to make people question his attitude. He's admitted that his shooting struggle is mental. As much as his form is orthodox, he is missing shots that he's used to hitting for the last few years.

[snaquille oatmeal]

Can we stop with worthless age crap.

Dennis Smith Jr. is 19.

He needs to get in the gym and really start practicing like a pro.

He is a scorer no?
Lonzo is a passer ya?

Is Dennis Smith Jr passing at the same level Lonzo is? Is it because he is 19?

Passing at the same level? Com'on. He isn't even playing in the 4th quarter the last two games.

what does that have to do with passing skills?

[lamscott]

He is a scorer no?
Lonzo is a passer ya?

Is Dennis Smith Jr passing at the same level Lonzo is? Is it because he is 19?

Passing at the same level? Com'on. He isn't even playing in the 4th quarter the last two games.

what does that have to do with passing skills?

The same thing it has to do with his age being an excuse. There is no correlation between the two when other 19 year olds are playing better.

[snaquille oatmeal]

Passing at the same level? Com'on. He isn't even playing in the 4th quarter the last two games.

what does that have to do with passing skills?

The same thing it has to do with his age being an excuse. There is no correlation between the two when other 19 year olds are playing better.

would you be at the top of your game if your little brother was in jail in China?

[Slink]

what does that have to do with passing skills?

The same thing it has to do with his age being an excuse. There is no correlation between the two when other 19 year olds are playing better.

would you be at the top of your game if your little brother was in jail in China?

To be fair he wasn't at the top of his game when his brother wasn't in jail in China.

[IAmTheBest]

Don't give up on Lonzo yet.

He's still very young in a league where the learning curve for a PG is very high.

Lonzo needs to have the right attitude though. He needs to stop fuqing around with media, brands, and looking cool and start focusing on basketball. why is he still dropping rap singles, TV shows and partying like a "big baller" etc? He should be in the gym and dissecting and studying the game. He has the talent he just needs more dog in him. I watch a lot of lakers games and he never seems to have that fire under his ass pushing him to prove the haters wrong...he seems pretty passive and disinterested on the court. Off the court he says all the right things in post game conferences and seems built for the popularity...it's just when it comes to basketball there is no drive it seems. Unfortunately getting that "it" factor an alpha dog kind of player has is not something you can just simply develop, and Lonzo will probably never sniff Magic territory, or even Kidd territory. He just doesnt seem sharp enough...does not play with that edge (I think ingram is the future superstar. he is the same age as lonzo, is a late bloomer like porzingis, and his skills are incredible for his size and age) Lonzo can be the floor general of a championship team in the future tho imo.

Russell kind of had the same problem and when things hit rock bottom and he was shipped off he finally turned in the right direction. Someone needs to mentor him before he turns into the next russell.

Maybe call in Phil to help manage/mentor the guys. People **** on Phil all the time in NYC but he's really the savior of the franchise and is responsible for the two remarkable rookies we currently have. Porzingis is a maniac when it comes to training and studying the game. He worships Kobe, mention's Kobe in post game interviews, and studies Kobe's, Dirks, KG's, Jordan's on court and off court videos trying to absorb as much has he can. Porzingis recently admitted that Phil's last moments as the Knicks president lit a fire under him and really motivated him over the summer.

Ntilikina is a dog too. He studies the game and despite being quiet he plays with a lot of passion. sometimes his eyes look like they about to pop out. and of course he even got into the face of lebron after lebron took a shot at him. ntilikina played like an animal that game

Embiid been chirping about lonzo for months. Embiid came rolled up to LA and show lonzo up in front of his home crowd. embiid kept going even after that game with that dumb troll tweet. never saw lonzo try to give it back to embiid. only lavar been doing that.

dont know what lonzo's deal is. maybe he's crushed from his father's aggressiveness. something needs to be done though since lonzo does have the talent.

i hope the lakers come up again. tired of the media always slurping warriors and spurs as role model organizations

[TylersLakers]

I was so down on Lonzo & Luke last night. However, the fact that Lonzo immediately went to the training facility and worked on his jumper and then got to practice early and continued doing that tells me all I need to know. I seriously wondered during the game if Lonzo actually wanted to play basketball for a living. I now feel content that's not the issue and he's just in his own head.

He'll come out of it and be better for it afterwards.

[Tee212]

his first year! expect even more struggles. players like wall/harden and few others didnt happen in their first year. hell it took wall 5-6yrs to make a name for himself. ill give him 3 years.

[Slink]

It's good to know he's got work ethic but the glaring issue is still his bizarre shot. All the practice in the world isn't going to make him a respectable shooter until he changes that. IMO the best we can hope for Ball is to be a mediocre shooter this season with a handful of good shooting games here and there.

[Tee212]

ya its not his shooting form, he needs to attack and score in other ways...floaters,runners, post up smaller guards find ways to shot and hook the ball over them, and create contact get to the line. like booker hes so offensively advance. all ball relies on now is a open layup or a spot up 3p.

[Slink]

Ya it's defenitley his shooting form.

Watch on YouTube

At 0:53: rotating his shooting hand makes the ball stable, but when rushed it makes him miss left or right. His shots have missed exactly as it says in the video.

[Tee212]

what about the shots that goes in that wasnt rushed. he missed many wide open unrushed shots and made some as well. what about at the ft line? is he being rushed there too? or lets look at players like rondo or rubio (rookie) they have more of a traditional shot...why cant they shoot a a decent clip. look at kevin martins ugly form why was he so good? "when rushed"? lol that effects every person that shots the ball.

its in his head moreso than ever right now. hes a rooks its going to effect him more than anyone else. every time he catches and fires...the thoughts that enters his mind is **** i better make this or its all over the media. not saying hes curry status...but him and klay go thru stretches of missing 3s like crazy. you would think perfect form and rotation/release would give you the best chance.

the biggest negative on this form is that hes unable to get a clean release driving right.

[LakersSoul]

Lonzo had a bad night. Just that simple.

Why were people not freaking out when Lonzo had his triple double? Yeah, there is some fear that is Lonzo a bust but we have to let Lonzo relax into his role. He is a great passer, rebounder and facilitator. That doesnt get the haters excited than showing points scored. He will start to understand his roles better. Right now there is a lot of pressure to shoot and score but that will come in time.

Good to see Lonzo working on his shots but the coaching staff really needs to get Lonzo focused on facilitating the game and not so worried about his shots. Just sucks that Lonzo was taken out of the 4th quarter for 2 straight games and now all the haters and media are calling him a bust. Lonzo is in a ton of scrutiny with all the videos and media analyzing his every moves since the fans all gravitate towards Lonzo. Crazy to see any video with Lonzo gets 5 to 10 times more hits.

Magic, Pelinka, Luke know this and they are patient. We, the fans, have to be patient with Lonzo's shot but other parts of the game, he needs to step up. Keep passing and rebounding in the meantime and not force the shots too much. In fact, Lonzo should listen more to Luke, Magic and Pelinka than to his father, friends and especially the media.

[LakersSoul]

Great breakdown on Lonzo by Watson.

Watch on YouTube

[pepe1991]

Great breakdown on Lonzo by Watson.

Watch on YouTube

Yea i mean listen to great advace of guy who was fastest fired coach in new season in history, guy who in his rookie year took 3,3 FGA per game, who in his career never attemped 10 FGA per game. I mean , do you see what he did with Booker ? Booker has best season of his life because that tool of a coach is out. Triano at least tries to play him off ball more, asks him to move without a ball and to pass ball to others and he become more effective than ever doing so.

Literally worthless advice of worthless coach who's best streach of career as coach was 9-24 season. Next Popovich ?

What Lonzo needs is to move away from his father and toxic family . They are literally nothing but another stumbling stone of his career. Sure Lavar is main reason why he cracked to top 2# pick in first place but that's only positive thing he did for all 3 kids in his life. Lonzo is 20, his NBA schedule is already filled and he has no time for himself , add to that distractions like TV show, s***ty shoe and shi** brand that he has to represent, brother who was stupid enough to steal in other country, another hot-head puberty brother, sick mother and father who is media clown and you get this.

I saw lot of " it takes time until pass first PGs develop" and i'm not sure what league are you guys watching. Who are good, pass first PGs to being with ? Chris Paul ? That guy was rookie 12 years ago, when Miami Heat won with Shaq and Wade. And even if he was pas first PG, he still averaged 16 ppg in rookie season. After him Rondo is only pass first PG who was viewed as good, yet when advanced stats and analytics become something normal he was viewed as a biggest stat padder and trash .
So who else ? Wall? 18,5 FGA per game doesn't sound like pass first to me, only Beal on his team shots more, and in lot of games Wall leads his team in FGA anyway.

Play it simple, pass first starters at PG in NBA are Elfrid Payton and Ricky Rubio, and both of them are some of worst starting PGs in the league.

[mcscotty]

One thing I'd really like to see Lonzo improve on is his diet. It's a huge part of being an elite athlete. It's very important for energy and recovery. Seems he really likes junk food and refuses to eat green vegetables. Not ideal choices for a modern athlete. Players have really been taking their diets seriously in recent years and he needs every edge he can get.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Lonzo had a bad night. Just that simple.

Why were people not freaking out when Lonzo had his triple double? Yeah, there is some fear that is Lonzo a bust but we have to let Lonzo relax into his role. He is a great passer, rebounder and facilitator. That doesnt get the haters excited than showing points scored. He will start to understand his roles better. Right now there is a lot of pressure to shoot and score but that will come in time.

Good to see Lonzo working on his shots but the coaching staff really needs to get Lonzo focused on facilitating the game and not so worried about his shots. Just sucks that Lonzo was taken out of the 4th quarter for 2 straight games and now all the haters and media are calling him a bust. Lonzo is in a ton of scrutiny with all the videos and media analyzing his every moves since the fans all gravitate towards Lonzo. Crazy to see any video with Lonzo gets 5 to 10 times more hits.

Magic, Pelinka, Luke know this and they are patient. We, the fans, have to be patient with Lonzo's shot but other parts of the game, he needs to step up. Keep passing and rebounding in the meantime and not force the shots too much. In fact, Lonzo should listen more to Luke, Magic and Pelinka than to his father, friends and especially the media.

From the outside looking in, my suggestion would be to have the guy take less shots and get more rest. Do much more visualization and mental stuff than physical work. He probably just has dead legs.

Even though he was the number one overall pick it would have been so much better for him to bring the guy in slowly and have a veteran point guard ahead of him. Magic Johnson was physically mature and a little bit older as a rookie. Even he had a norm Nixon in the backcourt. Ball needs a veteran. Even Jordan Clarkson is really young.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using RealGM mobile app

[NBAWestFan]

The pressure is obviously getting to him. With all the pressure and the funky release that probably has a very very small margin of error, you get some really really bad shooting. Will he turn it around? Maybe. But I don't think there's ever been a player that goes from shooting below 30% and horrendously bricking shots to being a knock down shooter which is what we were all hoping/expecting.

I think if he works hard and learns the proper Mechanics of Shooting by this time next year it would not be
so much of an issue. But if he hesitates to learn a new shot and waits it will be a recurring theme in Lonzo talks

A young kid and learn to shoot in a year or two when they first start.

But an 19 year old has to un-learn and train his brain the new technique.

I think he shoot start now even if the rest of the season his shot is down in the dumps.
He has to train his brain and it will take a while.

Just watch Kuzma, Steph, Klay they got it down.