Big Baller Lonzo Ball gives himself B grade for rookie season

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball gave himself a B grade for his first season in the NBA. 

Lonzo Ball handed himself a “B” grade for his rookie season in the NBA. That might be better than an “A” as far as his father, LaVar, is concerned, but all signs indicate Lonzo is well aware there’s still a lot he needs to work on as an NBA player.

The point guard told ESPN he didn’t think he did “tremendously well” in his first NBA season. On the flip side, Ball doesn’t believe “did bad” either. All in all, that seems like a pretty fair analysis of Ball’s efforts during the 2017-18 campaign.

Ball downgraded his performance because the Lakers missed the playoffs, a a nice nod toward his “team first” attitude, even if no one other than Lonzo’s father really expected them to make the postseason.

There are obvious areas where Ball needs to improve. First and foremost, he must become a better shooter. He shot 30.5 percent from 3 on the year, with an overall field goal percentage of 36.

If those numbers don’t improve, he’s unlikely to become the franchise player some thought he could be before he entered the NBA. Still, he averaged 10 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per contest in his first season. That’s an excellent base to build on.

If he can find a way to even become a respectable outside shooter, it will only make him more dangerous as a passer. If that happens, he could absolutely become an All-Star point guard down the road.

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The good news for Lakers fans is that Ball seems to understand there are areas of his game he needs to work on, and at only 20 years old, there’s still plenty of time for him to get to work.