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

By Jason Reed | Jul 24, 2018

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 29: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers signals as he is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors during a 127-123 Warriors win in overtime at Staples Center on November 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

1. Lonzo Ball’s basketball IQ is off the charts

It takes a lot to make the transition from college basketball to the NBA. During Lonzo Ball’s rookie season, as is the case with most rookies nowadays, the thought kept coming back into my head that he was just in high school as recently as 2016. He was the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers by the end of 2018.

That leap is a huge one and it is only the strong-willed and mental warriors that can make that transition smooth. Ball’s transition, for the most part, was smooth in large part due to his basketball IQ.

Sure, his jump shot did not look great at times but we will get to that later.

Ball, before being the legal age to drink alcohol, was running an NBA offense and was doing so efficiently. The team’s overall scoring was up, as was the passing as was the quality of the looks the shooters were taking.

Ball and his playstyle had a huge impact on the entire roster because of his immense basketball IQ. Heck, even Rajon Rondo complimented Ball, saying that his IQ is the best he has ever seen out of a 20-year-old.

Basketball IQ may not show up on the stat sheet but it may be the most important quality of a success point guard. Lonzo Ball has great basketball IQ.

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