Lakers Season Opener: Five things that will happen vs Clippers

GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a portrati during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
GREENBURGH, NY - AUGUST 11: Lonzo Ball of the Los Angeles Lakers poses for a portrati during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG Training Center on August 11, 2017 in Greenburgh, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Lonzo Ball will have a bad game in his regular season debut

No, this isn’t wishing the worst on the kid, but we saw what happened when the hype built up his Summer League debut and he fell flat. You have to give credit to the kid, as he’s handled that position of taking over the Lakers pretty humbly.

However, the regular season debut will have a lot of similarities to his first game of the summer. Los Angeles will probably see a great pass here and there to start the game, maybe even more connections at the rim with Brandon Ingram, but after that it’ll be him figuring out what he can do better.

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Some people won’t like that take on Ball’s first regular season game with the Lakers, and that’s alright. What matters in the long run is that Ball finds his groove and ultimately finds the best way for him to play professional basketball in purple and gold.

This isn’t to say that he won’t have a good or great regular season, or even that he won’t be in the running for the league’s best rookie.

But the tempo was a clear adjustment in Summer League for him, and if he had trouble there with guys that aren’t necessarily starters in the NBA, he definitely will run into that wall against the Clippers.

Prediction wise, it’s safe to say Ball will have at least five assists, but scoring and rebounding will be hard to come by for the rookie sensation.

Like Summer League, there will be people that just focus on his debut and say that he’s a bust or go after his father and the Big Baller Brand for saying Lonzo Ball really is that good — and they’ll regret it by the next game.