Lakers: Three reasons why Lonzo Ball is better than you think

1. His rookie competition

A lot of people tend to forget that Lonzo Ball is barely 20 years old, not even two years removed from high school. Ball is very young, he is very green and it is completely understandable why a 20-year-old would struggle against a grown men in their mid-20s. However, Ball isn’t even struggling.

For a rookie, especially considering his age, Ball is putting together quite the stat line. Not everyone can be LeBron James straight into the league, but with all things considered, Ball is not playing bad.

However, his rookie competition has created this image that he is. Ben Simmons is putting together a monster rookie year averaging 17.8 points, 9.4 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game. Simmons did get a year to mature following a season-ending injury last year, showing the gap from 20 to 21 to be significant.

Ball’s teammate Kyle Kuzma is not helping, either. Kuzma has been the shock of the draft at 27th overall. Thus far, Kuzma is averaging 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Other rookies such as De’Aaron Fox and Jayson Tatum are thriving as well. This was an immensely deep rookie class, we knew that going in. That is hurting Ball’s worth.

Just compare Ball’s 8.9 points, 6.9 assists and 6.4 rebounds to other rookies in the past. Last year’s winner Malcolm Brogdon averaged 16.2 points, 4.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds. Heck, Kobe Bryant averaged just 7.2 points per game his rookie year.

While Ball’s current numbers would not be enough to win the Rookie of the Year in any year, it would be enough to merit an All-Rookie First Team. However, due to his peers, Ball’s play is becoming second fiddle.