Los Angeles Lakers: 3 things we learned from latest win in Miami

Lonzo has shown us he really doesn’t have to be the man

Savior of the Los Angeles Lakers? The next Kobe Bryant (or if you’re LaVar, the best Lakers player of all-time)? The next Jason Kidd?

Forget comparisons. This game showed that Lonzo Ball is his own player, and that nothing we do on the outside looking in is going to change that about him. He may never be a top scorer in the league, let alone on his team, and he very well might fall just short of averaging a triple-double for his career.

But wow, his ability to be a difference maker has been shown just when he is on the floor. It’s become very true that the team does play better overall with him healthy and active, but that doesn’t mean that all of the distractions off of the court — mainly coming his father — won’t get in the way of team chemistry at some point.

In the win over the Heat, Ball had eight points, seven assists and six rebounds — but he also had six steals. That’s perhaps the most eye-popping stat out of the whole game for the Los Angeles Lakers, but it’s a step in the right direction for people like myself who are still critical of the direction they’re heading.

If Ball can continue getting the job done without having to put up a big number of points, then there’ still some breathing room to give him overall before giving up completely. He was the only starter who didn’t reach double digits in scoring despite the Lakers dropping 131 points on the road — and that’s starting to feel more and more okay as the season drags on.

The bigger question, though, still remains how he’ll respond to LaVar’s comments if there’s a superstar on the team as soon as next season.