NBA Rumors: LeBron James Talks About Lonzo Ball And Their Similarity On The Court
Before LeBron James made another controversial free agency decision, most people believed that the presence of Lonzo Ball was one of the major reason why the three-time NBA champion won’t sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Aside from being young and his unique shooting stroke, Lonzo’s father, LaVar Ball, became a major distraction in the league since he was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
However, LeBron James proved them wrong when he immediately signed with the Lakers even without a legitimate superstar on their roster. Lonzo Ball still has a long way to go to be considered as one of the elite point guards in the league, but he has shown plenty of reasons why James made the right decision to join the Purple and Gold. In their recent victory against the Charlotte Hornets, James and Ball made history by becoming the first pair of teammates to record a triple-double in the same game since Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did it in 2007.
LeBron James posted 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists while Lonzo Ball dropped 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. In an interview with Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times, James discussed his similarity with Ball when playing on the court.
“We’re one and the same when it comes to our playmaking ability,” James said.
“We’re always looking for our teammates and that’s the greatest satisfaction we can have when we see our teammates score the ball. We’ve always been pretty good rebounders for our position, him at the guard spot, me at the forward spot. And then being able to put the ball in the hole as well. We just try to be aggressive, attack the rim, make shots from the outside when guys disrespect us and we showed all of that tonight.”
LeBron James and Lonzo Ball are the first teammates since 2007 with triple-doubles in the same game, and the first Lakers to do it since 1982. https://t.co/iZ2VLv1s2P
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) December 16, 2018
In the years he dominated the Eastern Conference, LeBron James found success when he played alongside high-scoring guards like Kyrie Irving and Dwyane Wade. However, the work is much easier for James when he shares the court with a pass-first point guard like Lonzo Ball. The 21-year-old point guard started the season coming off the bench.
Luckily, when Rajon Rondo earned a suspension, Ball grabbed the opportunity to prove that he still deserves the starting role. If he continues to improve his performance and remains healthy throughout the season, Ball will undeniably be a huge help for James in bringing the Lakers back to the Western Conference Playoffs and the NBA Finals.
