Lakers look completely lost without Lonzo

[BorkLazer]

Just for giggles, what's your rookie top 5?

Rookies: Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

Then from this draft class: Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

And in the future from this draft class: Ball, Tatum, Mitchell, Markkanen, Ntilikina.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

[mucciniale]

Just for giggles, what's your rookie top 5?

Rookies: Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

Then from this draft class: Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

And in the future from this draft class: Ball, Tatum, Mitchell, Markkanen, Ntilikina.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

I think they are different players.
Rondo dont like to shoot from outside, Lonzo only shoot from outside (for the moment with bad %)
Rondo is a good finisher around the rim, Lonzo is not.
The only skill they have in common is passing.

[TyCobb]

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

Rajon Rondo with a better deep shot is pretty damn good (champion) player. But anyways, that's not my comparison, but I see that on the boards a lot but Lonzo has a better offensive game than him and even then what he showed the first 30 games of his career. His impact also goes beyond the boxscore. He is in the process of flipping an entire culture in LA like he did at UCLA. We have extremely selfish players from previous draft classes, but Lonzo is coming in and changing the entire style we play. His impact defensively has been his most impressive considering how often we switch on defense. His IQ, both offensively and defensively, is a tremendous foundation moving forward and now that his shots are starting to fall his game is opening in the paint too. It is too bad he got injured (on a switch covering the strong Nurkic), but it is what it is and when he gets healthy he'll start to be talked about again. The biggest difference with him and Rondo is that he is not a head case and is 100% more easy to coach. For this, he will have a better career.

[jstross]

Lonzo's biggest problem is on defense. He needs to toughen up.

[BorkLazer]

Rookies: Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

Then from this draft class: Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

And in the future from this draft class: Ball, Tatum, Mitchell, Markkanen, Ntilikina.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

I think they are different players.
Rondo dont like to shoot from outside, Lonzo only shoot from outside (for the moment with bad %)
Rondo is a good finisher around the rim, Lonzo is not.
The only skill they have in common is passing.

Rondo was not that great of a finisher his rookie year either, but he improved fast. I think they are very much similar players, again, with the exception of the 3.

[Steelo Green]

Rondo without a shot was an all-star. Why is it him with a shot is a disappointment...

[draftnightsuit]

Just for giggles, what's your rookie top 5?

Rookies: Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

Then from this draft class: Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

And in the future from this draft class: Ball, Tatum, Mitchell, Markkanen, Ntilikina.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

Why would Rondo be an insult? Rondo with a 3 point shot and a better attitude is a top 10 player.

[snaquille oatmeal]

Jason Kidd also improved the Mavs by 23 games, taking a 13-69 Mavs team to a 36-46 record in his rookie year, whereas the Lakers' record is on pace to be similar to last season.

Commending Lonzo Ball for helping the Lakers lose by close margins is the most loser-ish, self-defeatist thing I've read on these boards in quite sometime.

I know on paper you are right, but there is something to it in this case. it seems like with Lonzo on the floor they fight and scrap and are a hair away from beating good teams, but without him they just don't have it in them to compete even against bad teams. I guess is one of those you gotta watch to see situations

[Gus McCrae]

Lonzo's biggest problem is on defense. He needs to toughen up.

Seems like he plays very good defense to me

[markjay]

Lonzo's biggest problem is on defense. He needs to toughen up.

Lonzo is currently 8th out of point guards in the NBA in DRPM, 1st out of the point guards in blocks per game, 4th out of point guards in rebounds, and 8th out of point guards in steals.

If defense is his biggest problem, he is a heckuva player!!

[Upperclass]

They will play better with Alex Caruso if he gets a shot

[BorkLazer]

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

Rajon Rondo with a better deep shot is pretty damn good (champion) player. But anyways, that's not my comparison, but I see that on the boards a lot but Lonzo has a better offensive game than him and even then what he showed the first 30 games of his career. His impact also goes beyond the boxscore. He is in the process of flipping an entire culture in LA like he did at UCLA. We have extremely selfish players from previous draft classes, but Lonzo is coming in and changing the entire style we play. His impact defensively has been his most impressive considering how often we switch on defense. His IQ, both offensively and defensively, is a tremendous foundation moving forward and now that his shots are starting to fall his game is opening in the paint too. It is too bad he got injured (on a switch covering the strong Nurkic), but it is what it is and when he gets healthy he'll start to be talked about again. The biggest difference with him and Rondo is that he is not a head case and is 100% more easy to coach. For this, he will have a better career.

He's not changing the culture at all. It's called passing. They are playing a different style of basketball than in the past because it fits the makeup of the roster. You are so used to years of Kobe ball domination that you've forgotten what real team basketball looks like.

[Edrees]

Lmao. All year long all the gb has said is that kuzma is the Lakers best rookie. Or that Clarkson should start and lonzo benched because Clarkson is better. Now Lakers are missing lonzo of course they are bad when they don't have someone to control the pace. How is kuzma our best rookie if he can't even be relied upon to handle the ball? More importantly how is clarkson a better guard if he can't either? Apparently scoring is all that matters when deciding who the best players are.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

Rajon Rondo with a better deep shot is pretty damn good (champion) player. But anyways, that's not my comparison, but I see that on the boards a lot but Lonzo has a better offensive game than him and even then what he showed the first 30 games of his career. His impact also goes beyond the boxscore. He is in the process of flipping an entire culture in LA like he did at UCLA. We have extremely selfish players from previous draft classes, but Lonzo is coming in and changing the entire style we play. His impact defensively has been his most impressive considering how often we switch on defense. His IQ, both offensively and defensively, is a tremendous foundation moving forward and now that his shots are starting to fall his game is opening in the paint too. It is too bad he got injured (on a switch covering the strong Nurkic), but it is what it is and when he gets healthy he'll start to be talked about again. The biggest difference with him and Rondo is that he is not a head case and is 100% more easy to coach. For this, he will have a better career.

He's not changing the culture at all. It's called passing. They are playing a different style of basketball than in the past because it fits the makeup of the roster. You are so used to years of Kobe ball domination that you've forgotten what real team basketball looks like.

Kobe wasn't here last year. Lol you clearly have no clue what you are talking about.

[NY 567]

D'Angelo Russell was traded, so no other relevant PG option for Walton, and which all posters so far forget to notice here, injury of Lakers only real point guard coincide with an injury of their only decent center, Brook Lopez. If you cut-off from #20 NBA team two important starters with no adequate replacements, of course, that team level will drop badly overnight close to league bottom.

And let's be clear about this: Lakers should be happy to have 2 TOP5 rookies (yes, Ball and Kuzma are that good so far) from the same very good rookie class, so this seems so far arguably the best Lakers draft in past at least 3 decades. But people around NBA have all rights to mocking Lakers or Ball's father for way too early loudly promoting Lonzo into generational talent and celebrate his arrival as franchise newest game-changer, while guy so far has worse 2pt% and even FT% than next draft pick Tatum 3pt% !?

Ball isn't a top 5 rookie this year, he isn't even close.

List them.

Simmons, Markkanen, Tatum, Smith Jr, Kuzma, Bell, Mitchell, have all clearly been better, and that's off the top of my head. There are other rookies that Lonzo really hasn't outplayed either, he just has better volume stats because he plays a ton of minutes.

[BorkLazer]

Lmao. All year long all the gb has said is that kuzma is the Lakers best rookie. Or that Clarkson should start and lonzo benched because Clarkson is better. Now Lakers are missing lonzo of course they are bad when they don't have someone to control the pace. How is kuzma our best rookie if he can't even be relied upon to handle the ball? More importantly how is clarkson a better guard if he can't either? Apparently scoring is all that matters when deciding who the best players are.

Rajon Rondo with a better deep shot is pretty damn good (champion) player. But anyways, that's not my comparison, but I see that on the boards a lot but Lonzo has a better offensive game than him and even then what he showed the first 30 games of his career. His impact also goes beyond the boxscore. He is in the process of flipping an entire culture in LA like he did at UCLA. We have extremely selfish players from previous draft classes, but Lonzo is coming in and changing the entire style we play. His impact defensively has been his most impressive considering how often we switch on defense. His IQ, both offensively and defensively, is a tremendous foundation moving forward and now that his shots are starting to fall his game is opening in the paint too. It is too bad he got injured (on a switch covering the strong Nurkic), but it is what it is and when he gets healthy he'll start to be talked about again. The biggest difference with him and Rondo is that he is not a head case and is 100% more easy to coach. For this, he will have a better career.

He's not changing the culture at all. It's called passing. They are playing a different style of basketball than in the past because it fits the makeup of the roster. You are so used to years of Kobe ball domination that you've forgotten what real team basketball looks like.

Kobe wasn't here last year. Lol you clearly have no clue what you are talking about.

Kuzma is a Power Forward... why would he be asked to handle the ball?

And I never said Kobe was here last year. Are you actually reading or just skimming?

[j-ragg]

Lmao. All year long all the gb has said is that kuzma is the Lakers best rookie. Or that Clarkson should start and lonzo benched because Clarkson is better. Now Lakers are missing lonzo of course they are bad when they don't have someone to control the pace. How is kuzma our best rookie if he can't even be relied upon to handle the ball? More importantly how is clarkson a better guard if he can't either? Apparently scoring is all that matters when deciding who the best players are.

You don’t think Kuzma is your best rookie?

[IgorK]

Literally every Laker player except Lonzo is a tunnel vision scorer. It's a terrible situation for him.

I'd hang that on the coach. I was skeptical of the Luke signing when it happened. Now I want him replaced by someone who had more going for them in their resume than coaching a well-oiled championship squad that didn't need them in the first place.

[OzCastiel]

Jason Kidd also improved the Mavs by 23 games, taking a 13-69 Mavs team to a 36-46 record in his rookie year, whereas the Lakers' record is on pace to be similar to last season.

Commending Lonzo Ball for helping the Lakers lose by close margins is the most loser-ish, self-defeatist thing I've read on these boards in quite sometime.

Amen.

[BorkLazer]

Rookies: Simmons, Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

Then from this draft class: Tatum, Mitchell, Ball, Kuzma, Markkanen.

And in the future from this draft class: Ball, Tatum, Mitchell, Markkanen, Ntilikina.

Ball is going to turn into Rajon Rondo with a (very slightly) better deep shot. I don't see why you have so much love for that dude.

Why would Rondo be an insult? Rondo with a 3 point shot and a better attitude is a top 10 player.

Well first I'm skeptical he will ever be as good a floor general as Rondo was. Second, Rondo was a terrible shooter so by saying I think Ball is going to be better in that area, I mean I expect him to be around league-average.

I don't think Ball is going to be a bad player, but he won't be a "top 2 player on a Championship team" talent.

[Drakeem]

People are throwing Lonzo under the bus way too quickly when he does show big promise. When he fixes his shot (which I will fully expect to happen), it'll make the other parts of his game which are already solid even better as a result.