Lonzo Ball has been keeping busy in the summer leading up to his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Whether it is dropping a rap single or starring in a reality TV show, Ball has been everywhere.
Regardless of his outside interests, basketball remains the most important thing to the Lakers rookie and things are about to pick up soon. Training camp is set to begin with Media Day on September 25 and the first official practice the following day.
Just a few days later the Lakers will take the floor for their first preseason game on September 30 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In an interview with Bill Oram of the OC Register, Ball said he and the rest of the Lakers are looking forward to things getting started:
“Since we have such a young team, we pretty much have everybody in there already, everybody knows each other,” he said. “We’re looking forward to training camp and getting after it, then suiting up for that first preseason game.”
Something great that Ball notes is that the majority of the team has been at the practice facility working out together and getting to know each other. The Lakers have a lot of new pieces this season so developing chemistry will be very important and they’re already on their way to doing that.
Arguably no one on the roster will be under more pressure than Ball, however. Thanks to the words of his father LaVar, as well as Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson, many will be expecting him to dominate from day one.
Whether he will be able to do so remains to be seen, but his style of play should have a major effect on the team immediately. If that translates into more wins for the Lakers, the fans and the rest of the league will certainly be singing his praises.