Lonzo Ball was once deemed a Laker with high NBA potential, but that’s all faded away. So it’s time to talk about Lonzo Ball and What They Don't Want You To Know About Lonzo Ball. #Lonzo #NBA Instagram- @mj2k_allday
Lonzo Ball was deemed “special”. A talent like no other possessing a rare skill of making people around him better. And now there has been a shift. A player that was so special is now not even worth holding onto. He apparently doesn’t make enough of an impact to be missed now that he’s injured. It’s like you either are a Lonzo lover or a Lonzo hater. The media has turned on him and don’t get me wrong, I’ve made videos praising him and videos hating him. I’ve wanted to make this video for a while, to show the media and Lonzo. But let’s go back to just a few years when Lonzo was in high school.
Twitter- @mj2kallday
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Lonzo Ball worked up the ladder as a freshmen, always playing with great talent around him, ever while growing. By his junior year, Lonzo Ball was one of the best players in the nation, averaging 25, 11, and 9 and the 25th best player in his class at the time. In his senior year was when things went crazy. Chino Hills, Lonzo’s high school, went on a historic 35-0 run. Yeah 35-0. This was when the Chino Hills was at its highest and every basketball fan was in awe of Lonzo Ball. He averaged a triple double at 24, 11.3, and 11.7. He won multiple awards including the Naismith prep player of the year, USA Today Player of the year, and Mr. Basketball USA. Chino Hills won the championship that year and it was behind Lonzo’s exciting play, the fast paced play, the way he was a complete player that just made everyone excited. Chino Hills was a no-name basketball program and suddenly it was a powerhouse and it was a large part due to Lonzo. LaVar hadn’t reached the LaVar Ball status we know today and so there was media love. He was ranked the 4th best player in his class.
Lonzo had committed to UCLA and came into a program that was in shambles. UCLA was 15-17 the year before Lonzo joined. Yeah, UCLA basketball, one of the best programs in the country, a program filled with championships, missed the NCAA tournament and was failing. Lonzo changed that. He led the the nation in assists. He shot 41% from 3, making clutch stepback 3s. He made people like TJ Leaf and Bryce Alford look great. UCLA went 31-4. They became one of the best teams in the nation behind Lonzo. He averaged 14.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 6 rebounds. He attacked the paint with no regard, always looking confident in his shot, his ability to finish, and his ability to create. He broke countless Pac-12 records, was the freshmen of the year, and had the whole nation in a daze. This was also the time LaVar Ball was being LaVar Ball, calling Lonzo better than Curry, saying he could beat Jordan, *sigh while LaMelo Ball scored 92 points. Still, Lonzo was being compared to the likes of Magic and people were calling him a once in a lifetime floor general. Questions started to pop up on Lonzo’s defense although he was 6’ 6”. Questions started to pop up on his unorthodox jumpshot and whether he could get it up on NBA defenses. Questions started to pop up on his athleticism and whether he was quick enough to stay with guards. And that’s how we came into the draft, unsure of Lonzo and his talents, unsure of what to make of Lonzo.
During the season, he still became the youngest player ever to have a triple double. Players were gunning out for him. LaVar was running his mouth causing rifts between players and coaches. At one point, he said that the coaches have lost control of the team. Lonzo was consistently in the media, having to answer for his father’s comments, to balance his teammates, his coaches, his dad, all while being the most scrutinized rookie out there in LA. Lonzo was a horrible shooter, always inconsistent, airballing, just losing confidence. No one talked about his defense last season. I had made a video detailing how Lonzo is a smart defender and how he is able to use his 6’ 9” wingspan to bother shots.
Then the trade rumors exploded onto the scene with Lonzo on the trade block in the offseason and Lonzo was injured. LeBron comes on board and suddenly Lonzo isn’t the focus of the media anymore. LaVar starts becoming less relevant since the media got used to his outlandish comments and now we have Lonzo being more Lonzo on UCLA. More experienced, less pressure and more freedom to be himself, especially with LeBron calling him the young king and actually being a good teammate by instilling confidence. Lonzo got the praise for being a good defender, but that’s already been forgotten.
But at this point in time, the damage has been done.
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