Los Angeles Lakers: Lonzo Ball is still the best sophomore point guard
By Jason Reed
3. Lonzo Ball is years beyond his age mentally
Speaking of Ball’s new mentor, Rajon Rondo had huge praise for the sophomore point guard while discussing how far he could go in his NBA career. One of the biggest things that stood out was Rondo’s comments on Ball’s basketball IQ, which he said was one of the best he had ever seen out of a 20-year-old.
Even if all of the statistics were the exact same and Ball was average at everything in comparison to his peers, that alone would give him a big enough edge to be the best point guard of his generation.
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Basketball and all sports for that matter are half physical and half mental. You can be as big of a physical specimen as possible but if you do not understand how to run a pick and roll, a post route or to hit with two strikes in the count, you will never reach your full potential as an athlete.
The best in every sport not only have that physical edge but have that mental edge as well. For point guards, much like quarterbacks or starting pitchers, this mental edge is the most important as the entire game can rest on your shoulders.
This is more than just praise from a teammate, we saw the direct results of this last season. Even when Ball was not on the court or did not have a role in a specific possession, the entire culture and way the Lakers ran the offense changed.
All of a sudden, everyone was sharing the rock, moving at a face past and simply playing a much more efficient rate. This was the Lonzo Ball effect; his abilities and his IQ translated to an entire roster of young guys that made everyone around him better.
You cannot say that about many young point guards or many young players, for that matter. As good as someone like Donovan Mitchell is, he is not making his teammates better in the same capacity as Ball.
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As a point guard that is huge and that is why the Los Angeles Lakers have the best sophomore year point guard in the league.