After watching Lonzo Ball win Las Vegas Summer League MVP, Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson thinks there’s much more to come from his rookie point guard.
Johnson bullishly predicted that there are more triple-doubles to come from his young guard, going as far as to compare his confidence and game to his own.
“You can see that. If he’s getting triple-doubles in the summer league, he is going to get triple-doubles in the regular season,” Johnson said, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “Just like me, when I got here, there was pressure. I was the No. 1 pick. I didn’t care about that. I am going to play my game. Lonzo is going to play his game. The great ones do.”
Johnson doubled down on the comparison, crediting him for being a great teammate who makes others better.
“Lonzo is special, no question about it, because he makes everyone better,” Johnson said. “He does something you can’t teach. He gives you a scoring pass. Very few point guards in this league can do that. I am talking about giving you a pass that leads to the score, not just passing it to you. … I like him because he also is now a great teammate. He has a special effect on people.
“I think it is the same in terms of the basketball IQ,” Johnson added of what he and Ball have in common. “What is lacking in our game is a guy that can create a shot for somebody else. That is why Golden State, San Antonio and Cleveland are so good. They got multiple guys who can create a shot for somebody else. That is the one thing that he has that you cannot teach.”
The expectations are high for Ball, both inside and outside of the organization. He seems better prepared than most to live up to them.
