One of the most talked about rookie players in the past couple of years, Lonzo Ball, debuted for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Although we had a chance to see Ball in the NBA Summer League and preseason games, the game against the Los Angeles Clippers was his first NBA regular season game. Patrick Beverley of the Clippers made sure that Ball remembers his debut.
After just a few minutes into the game, Beverley showed he won’t be easy for the rookie. He played aggressive defense on him, and picked Ball up on the full court, never backing down through the entire game. Ball didn’t cope well with Beverley’s pressure while committing few turnovers and allowing Beverley to strip him of the ball at one point. Ball ended his first regular season Lakers game on a disappointing note. The Lakers lost the game 108-92, with Ball scoring just 3 points while shooting 1-6 from the field. He added 4 assists and 8 rebounds. On the other hand, Beverley scored 10 points, alongside 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Although Beverley is an exceptional defender, who plays hard each time, he might have an extra motivation to spoil Ball’s debut. Lonzo’s father LaVar Ball praised his son before he was even drafted, and said at one point that Ball is “better than Stephen Curry”. According to Stephen A. Smith from the ESPN’s first take, this and other LaVar Ball’s statements about his son caused NBA players to have a special motive when they face Lonzo Ball. Even Beverly made that a similar comment after the game.
“I just had to set the tone,” – Beverley said after the game. “I told him after the game, due to all the riff-raff that his dad brings that he is going to get a lot of people coming at him. He has to be ready for that, and I let him know after the game. But what a better way to start than 94 feet guarding him.”
When asked about his debut, Lonzo Ball admitted he wasn’t on the highest level by saying: “We got blown out, so I didn’t play too well.“
Although Ball is an exceptional talent, it looks like he will have to prove himself from the very beginning.
