Contrary to what LaVar says, Lonzo Ball is lucky to be along for the ride

Sorry LaVar, but LeBron James is going to be LeBron whether Lonzo Ball is on the team or not.

So here’s the news you already know: the greatest basketball player in the world, LeBron James, is joining the Los Angeles Lakers.

Here’s some more news you already know: LaVar Ball is already insisting that his son, Lonzo Ball, is going to make LeBron better. As quoted in a USA Today article, LaVar believes that Lonzo and LeBron are “gonna fit together like a glove.”

Here’s the reality of the situation: no matter what uniform he wears, LeBron James is going to be LeBron James, and it doesn’t matter if Lonzo Ball is tagging along for the ride or not. In this case, Lonzo is lucky to be able to join LeBron on his quest to topple the monstrous Golden State Warriors.

“Lonzo makes everybody better, including [LeBron)]” LaVar said in an interview with Overtime. “He’s going to make Lonzo better because he’s the best player. Lonzo’s gonna orchestrate it, and [LeBron’s] gonna be fine with that as long as it results in winning.”

If Lonzo gets to dish out a pass to LeBron every once in a while, or maybe set him up for an alley oop, then good for him. But LeBron is LeBron, and let’s hope, for the love of God, that LaVar doesn’t believe that LeBron needs his son in order to be a better basketball player.

Because whether or not Lonzo is on the team or not, LeBron is most likely going to take the Lakers to the Western Conference Finals.

Before assuming that LeBron is going to become an even better player because he gets to play with Lonzo, it would probably be best for Lonzo himself to just focus on actually earning the starting point guard job. The Lakers recently signed veteran point guard Rajon Rondo, who — while maybe a bit of a head case — has plenty of experience doing this kind of thing. Rondo was the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics that won the 2008 NBA title, and went back to the Finals in 2010. He worked with a superstar lineup that included Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

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Meanwhile, after getting drafted second overall in 2017, Lonzo only played in 52 games for the Lakers last year, and averaged just 10.2 points and 7.2 assists. Not awful numbers for a rookie, but not great either, and if anyone is going to help LeBron thrive in L.A., it might just be the much more experienced Rondo.

So instead of talking about how Lonzo is going to make LeBron better, let’s instead realize that Lonzo is just fortunate to be along for this ride with LeBron — assuming he even gets to play.