Wow. I understand frustration, but the hate is pretty ridiculous. Garbage? So the kid is a streaky shooter, so what? He's 20 years old and is the most scrutinized rookie the league has seen since LeBron. The list of players who have averaged 10/7/7 in their rookie season is 4 players long: Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Ben Simmons, and Lonzo Ball. He's got only 8 games out of the 49 he's played where he hasn't recorded a steal and he's tied for 9th in the league in steals per game overall. He has a shot to end the season averaging 10/7/7/1.5/1 on the year. How spoiled are we that a kid with this sort of talent is being called garbage? I have no problem criticizing him for his shooting, it's not acceptable right now. But there's no way we should be tearing the kid down either. The kid is the best prospect we've drafted since Kobe and I'm not being facetious. He's got better instincts as a basketball player than anyone I've seen in a Laker uniform since Kobe Bryant. He needs to strengthen up and he needs to toughen up, but he's insanely talented. There is no reason for this kind of hate.
Thank you. The kid's FLOOR is Rondo but with a great attitude. I'll take that any day! But there's tons of reasons to think he'll be much more (his great shooting and finishing at the rim in college)!
It was an embarrassing night, but I actually like the fact that he kept shooting. These games are essentially meaningless. All we can ask is that they compete hard and try to get better. This team is a lot better when Zo is making his 3s, so what is there really to lose with him taking these open 3s? He's bound to start hitting again and hopefully he stays in the gym all summer (besides his big concert in Lithuania). I'd rather Zo go 1-12 and have the balls to take those shots than be afraid to take the open looks altogether. After Ingram's rocky rookie season, I want to see how Zo looks in his sophomore year.
That's what's been ingrained into his dome by his "know it all and all about the Balls only" old man ... LaVar. Just keep shooting no matter what. Melo did in HS until the coach this year said enough, stop jacking up 35 3s a game and old man's ego couldn't take that so he yanks him out of the last 2 years of HS. Same thing with the Lithuanian coach ... asks Melo to stop doing that but Melo only listens to the old man. Lonzo's a team player not a me first player but he's going to do what he's been brought up to do to try to get himself right here. Not saying this to pile on further today .... am over the frustration of last night. Seems to just be a fact with these 3 kids for the good and the bad they bring. Lonzo has been awesome in so many areas this year.
I'm only on page 198 and have yet to catch up but wanted to share my 2 cents on the other night's shooting. I love it that he kept shooting the ball when he was open. Now not all the shots down the stretch were wide open and Brook at one point had Rondo on him so I wish we would have gone down low first (inside and out) but Lonzo pulled some Kobe out there last night in not caring what the consequences were. He wanted to take those shots come hell or hot water with the game on the line. He's a rookie who brings so much more to the game. He'll figure it out and this summer will get a floater or in between game going. Not worried at all and as bummed as it was to see that game so much in reach if he hits just 1-2 threes there, the confidence and stubborn at time was great to see. Growing pains fam....
I agree with you bro completely...he does so many other things for our ball club to look at just his shooting as the be all tell all. But its that type of expectation we have of him that makes us question his relentless complacency from the land of 3. He's way too heady of a player not to realize that the defense is baiting him into that shot. I get that he wants to shoot his way out of this slump, but he just needs to apply his transcendent court vision into finding better shot attempts. Launching from 3 just cause its there, doesn't make it a wise or effective tactic in gaining confidence back into his shot. Others have brought up Kobe and comparing it to that is kind of a reach too...Kob had his 4 airballs in the postseason, meanwhile dude launched 11 misses from the land of 3 during the regular season and with really nothing to play for since they're technically out of the playoffs already. He should instead focus on playing the right way and developing other aspects to his game. He could have looked for a teammate or another type of shot, but instead he chose to keep taking what the defense gave to him. How is he not afraid to take that 3ball, yet is afraid to hit the paint and go to the free throw line? He's avoiding that element of the game purposely since the hack-a-zo in the Denver game. Its noticeable that he's shook from there and is avoiding plays that can draw a whistle. Some of us are hard on Zo, no different than if we were hard on Kob. We have expectations of this guy cause he made us believe in them. So if he's playing poorly in a certain regard to his game, he better damn well address it, otherwise this fan will have no patience with it. He needs to work on his shot and nothing is convincing me otherwise...not his prep level success, not his collegiate level success. The NBA is a whole other league and that type of shot limits his ceiling. Just way too many 3s for my liking and I'm sorry its just lazy on his part to react to the will of the defense in settling for that long ball instead of forcing the defense to react to his will by forcing his way into the paint. Catapults can bust down walls, but you are using one to build them right back up...brick by brick.
I almost don’t care about the 3pt shots. BUT, I don’t think it is asking too much to expect your point guard to be 70%+ from the free throw line.
Lonzo at the free throw line does NOT have Big Balls. That's a place an alpha like him needs to take care of business.
Solid game tonight, 12/10/8, some nice hustle plays. I’ll take it. Gotta bend those knees on the free throws though.
If you think our best PG and playmaker should be on the bench to close games, I don’t know what other term to use. Randle couldn’t shoot fts for s*** earlier this season, but of course we still want him on the floor to finish games, because he makes good things happen out there. Zo will have to fight through it and learn, he’s not our first rookie to struggle with clutch fts. Randle has, Ingram did, Russell did, they pretty much all have.
hatah (so not serious) Near triple double, so he's amazing. He needs to be put in a position to succeed though, but there will be varying opinions on how to best accomplish that.
I just don't think it's the right way to develop the kid and our team. I don't appreciate being called a hater for believing how we should deal with Lonzo's yips.
And I don’t think sitting the kid on the bench is the right way to develop him. If I said sit Randle to finish games because he can’t make clutch fts a few months ago you’d have called me a hater. Players need to figure it out. So you don’t like Zo, why not just own it?
