Give And Go
Michael Angelo S. Murillo
I know it is just early in the offseason but I am not blaming Los Angeles Lakers fans for looking forward to a potentially exciting next season of the National Basketball Association.
The reason for their excitement? Rookie guard Lonzo Ball.
If you happened to be following the goings-on in The Association, particularly the Summer League, the no. 2 selection in this year’s rookie draft has been, well pun intended, “ball-ing.”
Save for a so-so performance in his debut outing in the Purple and Gold, Ball has since validated the Lakers’ decision to select him second overall with his steady solid performance.
In seven games where he helped the Lakers record a 5-2 record in the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2017 in Las Vegas, the UCLA standout recorded an average of 16.3 points, 9.3 assists (tournament-leading), 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals.
He peppered his stats with a couple of triple-doubles — an 11-point, 11-rebound and 11-assist showing in an 86-81 loss to rivals Boston Celtics on July 8, and five days later against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he recorded 16 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 94-83 victory.
His impressive statline was enough to earn him the tournament’s most valuable player.
The Lakers are also set to compete in the tournament championship against the Portland Trail Blazers albeit they will be missing their MVP as Ball is sitting the game out because of a calf strain.
But while the sitting out in the Summer League title game was a bummer after how he played on the way to it, still there is no denying that Ball has upped his stock as an NBA player.
The NBA-dom has certainly noticed what he can do. There is still doubters, sure, if he can translate his performance in an actual NBA game but if you have a game, you have a game. And Ball has one.
More than the numbers, what impresses me of the Laker rookie is his court sense and ability to make those around him better — a mark of a good playmaker if you are to ask me.
His father LaVar has boldly proclaimed that his son should lead the Lakers back to the playoffs next season, which is not an impossibility but needless to say still remains to be seen, especially how the Western Conference got even crowded with weighty offseason personnel moves.
Just the same, with Ball manning the point for a Laker team now more souped up with the arrival of guys like Brook Lopez and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in addition to young stalwarts Julius Randle. Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance, Jr. and Jordan Clarkson, the Purple and Gold has serious upside that is hard not to get excited about.
Postscript: The MGM Resorts All-NBA Summer League Teams 2017: First Team — Ball (LA Lakers), John Collins (Atlanta), Josh Jackson (Phoenix), Dennis Smith, Jr. (Dallas) and Caleb Swanigan (Portland). Second Team — Cheick Diallo (New Orleans), Bryn Forbes (San Antonio), Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers), Wayne Selden, Jr. (Memphis) and Jayson Tatum (Boston).
Michael Angelo S. Murillo has been a columnist since 2003. He is a BusinessWorld reporter covering the Sports beat.
msmurillo@www.bworldonline.com
