Lonzo Ball debut not what supporters or haters were expecting

After the Lonzo Ball debut in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the Lakers are officially ready for the next chapter.

It was a long night for fans during the Lonzo Ball debut after just the first possession. While an early connection with forward Brandon Ingram is important, it’s not the only reason that Ball was drafted.

He’s supposed to have his own skill set, but instead found a bunch of bricks and missed shots. This is contrary to the remarkable alley oop that he put on display in the first possession.

Scoring just five points, Ball came well short of where fans hoped he’d be. In all likelihood, throughout the regular season at least, that means we’ll be hearing even more from LaVar Ball. What’s surprising about Ball’s father is that this time, he’s was on point.

Instead of talking his way around it or deflecting the question, LaVar insisted that it was the worst game that Lonzo has played in his life. However, while that was disappointing enough, he said that discouragement won’t play a factor moving forward.

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He’s not wrong, either. This is what Summer League is for, if nothing else. Young talent, even top draft selections, fighting each other in order to get a good tempo down as well as try new things to grow your game.

At the end of the day, Lonzo Ball still hopes to be an incredible x-factor in Los Angeles. They’ve not made the playoffs the last few seasons, but now look like they could make a surprise push.

One thing that LaVar has been adamant about is the fact that he believes Lonzo will lead the Lakers back to the playoffs in his first year. In addition, he also sees his son being the best rookie and winning hardware to go with that claim.

Time will only tell for the latest second overall pick to don purple and gold. D’Angelo Russell, the second pick from 2015, didn’t last more than two seasons in LA. Brandon Ingram, on the other hand, looks to be the irreplaceable piece moving forward.

And Ball now has to show that he’s neither here nor there or something stuck in the middle. But rather his own piece of work.

The Lakers can’t afford to deal with making the wrong choice in the long run. They’ve made too many moves in the off-season and invested too much for Lonzo Ball to be a dud.

Next: Predicting The First Four Years Of Lonzo Ball

Los Angeles plays Boston tonight and Sacramento on Monday before the Summer League seeded tournament begins next week.