Lonzo Ball scored five points on 2-of-15 shooting in his Summer League debut, and Twitter was absolutely merciless toward him and his father.
NBA Summer League normally only piques the interests of hardcore basketball fans. Any time casual fans get a glimpse of it, though, they’ll usually make some extremely knee-jerk reactions, like proclaiming Jayson Tatum the Rookie of the Year or saying Lonzo Ball will be a bust after one game. About that last one …
Yes, it was only Summer League, but all eyes were on Lonzo and the Los Angeles Lakers as they took on the Clippers on the first day. Ball has been touted as the franchise’s savior since draft night by fans, and since the middle of college basketball season by his father.
While he displayed some flashes of why he was taken second overall, his overall stat line was very cringe-worthy:
Lonzo Ball in Summer League debut: 5 points, 5 assists, 3 TOs, 2-15 shooting, 1-11 from deep in 33 mins. Clippers over Lakers in OT 96-93
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 8, 2017
Twitter was very reasonable in spite of that performance, remembering that this is only one game while believing that Lonzo will go far in the NBA … psych! Of course, they let him have it!
Lonzo went 2-15 from the field?!?!?! Bahahahaha lavar prolly blaming the white guy on the floor
— Brett Thomas (@biggs4hoos) July 8, 2017
Lonzo 2-15 against NBA benches...
— Rat King (@getahandup) July 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/RussellLanden/status/883533779792523266
Lonzo airBall shot 2-15 today... "2018 Rookie of the Year"- Lavar Ball, "My son is taking the Lakers to the playoffs"- Lavar Ball. #TTP
— nick (@76_nation) July 8, 2017
#Lakers Maybe trading Russell wasn't the best decision because that boy lonzo can't shoot to save his father some tooth paste. #Lavarteeth
— Die Ziege (@Jonny_plank1) July 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/calebwilson81/status/883533495192006656
“I don’t care if he a big baller, he still ain’t got ice in his veins.” pic.twitter.com/imUvfU1J4s
— Ry (@JustRyCole) July 8, 2017
Big Baller Brand Defense Instructional Video pic.twitter.com/IVBhJpblkj
— MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) July 8, 2017
Lonzo Ball's shot chart from his first NBA game isn't exactly Big Baller material: pic.twitter.com/XapqIoQ7GH
— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) July 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/leslierharris2/status/883534527343206400
Lonzo already chasing Kobe's missed shots record
— Michael Guzman (@Mike_A_Guzman) July 8, 2017
His performance was so poor, even LaVar Ball acknowledged it was bad, but he still said he “changed the Lakers’ culture”… oh well, one out of two isn’t bad. That being said, this may be one of the few times people might feel bad for LaVar.
Lonzo Ball could easily come back tomorrow and score 30 points. This is why Summer League brings out the worst in NBA fans, because when everything’s presented in a vacuum, people will jump to conclusions after one game.
Next: 10 Biggest NBA Draft Mistakes of All-Time
The unfortunate reality for Lonzo is, because of his father, people have actively been rooting against him before he’s even put on a Lakers uniform. Combine that with the pressure that comes with being a second overall pick and he’s already coming into the league with a lot of adversity. How he handles it will surely be one of the most compelling storylines this season.