The point guard position is the deepest one in the entire NBA, which makes it tough for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball as he will never really have an off day. Up next for Ball is one of the league’s best, John Wall of the Washington Wizards.
Not only is Wall impossible to deal with in transition because of his speed and athleticism, but he is also one of the best defenders in the league. Of course, that didn’t stop Lonzo’s father, LaVar, from sending out a warning to the Wizards.
This warning prompted a response from Wizards center Marcin Gortat on Twitter, who declared that Wall will ‘torture’ Ball for 48 minutes:
man….. pleaseeeeee!!! @JohnWall will torture him for 48min ????????????????
— Marcin Gortat???????? (@MGortat) October 23, 2017
Wall is certainly capable of making life extremely difficult on the rookie. Ball’s first game, against noted defender and agitator Patrick Beverley, saw him shoot only 1-6 from the field and finish with just three points. Ball would respond, however, with a near triple-double against the Suns the next night.
This is also another example of players potentially coming after Lonzo thanks to the words of his dad. Beverley reportedly told Ball this would happen after the season opener, and that looks to be the case. In fairness, Wall himself has said nothing of the sort, but it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that he found motivation in LaVar Ball’s words.
So far Ball has taken everything in stride and continued to go out and play his game and he will need to be at the top of it to hang with Wall. With the Lakers breaking out their ‘Classic’ Minneapolis Lakers jerseys for the game, maybe Ball can channel some of the Laker legends from that era.
