Lonzo Ball is showing he can be the real deal under pressure

After falling short in his debut, Lonzo Ball has put on a show at the rest of Summer League.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right? Well, if Lonzo Ball has anything to do with it, the Lakers hope that the magic he’s created on both ends of the floor translates to the regular season.

Ball’s first Summer League game is best defined in one word — flat. He didn’t come out strong with the exception of his first pass to Brandon Ingram. Sure, it wowed people, but the Lakers need a full game from him every night.

That’s when Boston came into the picture. The Celtics had been on fire coming into the match up, and Jayson Tatum looked like a solid rookie addition.

Suddenly, Lonzo Ball found his groove and went off for a triple double. That’s not easy to do, let alone in your second ever NBA appearance. By putting up eleven of each major statistic (points, rebounds, assists), he proved he can do it.

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Then, after missing a game versus Sacramento, the Lakers played the Sixers. No Markelle Fultz in this one, but we’ll see plenty of them playing throughout their careers.

Instead of a triple double, Lonzo Ball put the cat back in the bag completely. He scored 36 points to go with 11 assists and eight rebounds. The one thing people will point out is the fact that he wore Nike shoes over Big Baller Brand.

That’s the least of his worries right now, as proving he’s worthy of the second overall pick is the task at hand. Something special that Lonzo Ball has the chance to do comes two fold in his rookie season.

First, if he keeps this up, the playoffs could be a real possibility. Outside of Golden State, San Antonio, and Houston, the Western Conference has a lot of what-ifs. Minnesota and Los Angeles are both big question marks.

And outside of that, there’s three or so spots up for grabs.

Utah isn’t going to be the same without Gordon Hayward. New Orleans might not work out well for DeMarcus Cousins after all. Denver could be a sleeper team. And then teams like Portland, Sacramento, and Memphis have a shot, but lean more towards getting the eighth seed.

Lastly, Lonzo Ball can win the Rookie of the Year award with the kind of numbers he’s putting up in Summer League. De’Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum will be hard competition for him, but that’s what will make him better.

Next: Predicting First Four Years Under Lonzo Ball

In fact, you could argue that people doubting him so quickly is what turned the switch. Whatever it was, it’s working — and the Lakers are looking to reap any and all rewards that follow.