So, I'm referring specifically to three types of Hype. I don't mean the usual, he's a high draft pick Hype. I mean, he's Jason Kidd (Hof players regarded as nearly the best defender at the 1 ever), will have LeBron like impact (taking bottom feeders to the late stages of playoffs), and calling him the face of the franchise despite having Ingram on the team and never having played an NBA game. Discuss.
Not at all. I agree with Rob and Magic that he's a transcendent talent. Kidd is a great comparison. I think the kid is a beast.
No. I see why people are sometimes moved to "reach" for those kinds of comparisons from watching him play. The kid is special. Velocity already on his chest passes is amazing .... reminds me of Kevin Love when he was coming out. Eye test says he has IT.
Yeah, I just don't buy it. As always, I'm cautiously optimistic one of the guys turns into a key piece, but you gotta see him in actual games before you can make any comparisons to anyone.
We have seen him in games against upper echelon competition against his peers and age group to see the style and excitement of the type of game he plays and the success it afforded those teams. Undefeated state championship and Top ranked team in the nation HS. Next step up as freshman UCLA's wildly successful season last year after mediocrity the year prior with many of same players Sure the competition keeps getting tougher but so will Lonzo continue to get better. He's a winner.
Yeah. Maybe not so much the hype but the complete overreacting to valid criticisms. Just think we’re setting expectations way high. I get it to a extent. Make no mistake, we NEED him to pan out. But I’d prefer if we were patient and let him develop slowly. I like him and his potential. He has a ways to go though on both ends of the floor though so I think everyone should just take a step back and let the kid grow.
Nope. I watched him elevate the UCLA team last year and I've been sold ever since. The Kidd comparisons are about his passing and I have also found myself using those comparisons to describe what I see from Lonzo. I don't think anyone thinks he will ever be as good a defender as Kidd, at least I don't. Who knows if he will be an HOF player like Kidd? But he broke both Kidd and Gary Payton's long held rookie PAC 12 assist records last year to become number one. That's no joke. His passing and his abilities as a floor general are something I haven't seen in ages.
If 40% of fans aren't on board with the hype, that's my point. Magic mishandled this, and a (large) subset of fans are running with it, to the detriment of the fanbase.
When I think of hype I think of some of my favs at Leftistground JR being labeled a mix of Barkley, Webber, LeBron and Malone hahaha probably missing a few more HOF bigs DLo being the next Steph Curry or him being an All Star PG in the west
My observation is Magic knows what kind of a leader he was himself when he came out and the immediate impact it had on the Lakers that first season with his style of play helping contribute to winning and exciting basketball and a championship that first year. EVEN though Kareem Abdul Jabbar was clearly the superstar and face of the team at that time. Magic I believe completely sees the similarities in this rarest of ways that Lonzo plays the game and has been a winner in his amateur career at the highest levels each step of the way. He wants Lonzo to have that mindset. This is as much a challenge to Lonzo as it is anything else. It's not hype if he believes what he is saying. And he and Rob clearly do. Rob was reaching with the analogies to elite NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady delivering the pin point precision passes. No one is going to short shrift Brandon Ingram's leadership qualities as well while this is going on. He gets what Lonzo brings to the team just as I'm sure Kareem realized the first 2 weeks.
I'm not sure Kareem agrees that he saw it that way. Some great interviews on their early relationship. Or actually their non-relationship and why he didn't see Magic as much of a leader, or even as social.
I don't think Ball's hype was as intensive as James was coming out of high school into The League. I would believe the hype more is due to his father's grandstanding whether you like it or not. Ball is a bonafide floor general. Without a cast of able options on offense, his flaws as a scorer which he really isn't by nature will be exposed. I feel that Ball will be very good his first few seasons and not necessarily outstanding yet.
I bristle mostly at the notion that Ball will be the face of the franchise. He might be, but right now, I'm seeing a lot more potential from Ingram than Ball. I think Magic envisions Ball as himself, and Ingram as Worthy. Worthy was super skilled and a great player, but not the leader of the team. I think he could be wrong on that front. I think Ingram could end up as the team leader in a few years after PG retires . He has all the tools and we're starting to see him take charge. I loved how Ingram brought everyone together at the end of regulation last game to talk to them. He knew he wasn't going to be going back into the game, but he still took it upon himself to set the correct mind state for the players going forward into overtime. That's a leader.
