There are a few things that are commonly known about Lonzo Ball. He is the eldest of three brothers who collectively tore up their local basketball scene at Chino Hills High School in the short time they were able to play together. This past year, he led one of the more exciting offenses college basketball has seen in a good while at UCLA. And finally, this June he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lavars… err, Lakers in order to fulfill his destiny of restoring the franchise to its Showtime roots.
At each stop along the way, Ball has demonstrated his X-Ray-visionary passing ability with full-court heaves and savvy tip assists. This was a significant factor in the Lakers’ decision to bring Ball to their court with the 2nd overall pick. But the team may be underestimating the baggage that will come with their potentially transcendent passer. I’m not even talking about his iffy-looking jumper, less-than-elite athleticism, and media-megaphone father. What I’m worried about more than anything are his takes.
Lonzo Ball’s NBA career has yet to reach the 1-month milestone, but that has not stopped him from sharing some truly troubling opinions. What the Los Angeles Lakers need to consider is whether his scintillating passing outweighs his propensity for poor perspectives. Lonzo’s passing will surely please his bucket-hungry teammates, but that won’t even matter if the Lakers have another D’Angelo Russell locker room situation on their hands. The only way to settle this matter and avoid a disaster before it happens is to compare them head-to-head and judge their respective impacts in a totally subjective manner. So it’s Passes vs. Points of View. Assists vs. Assessments. Gives vs. Takes. Let’s do this.
GIVE #1
Pretty impressive first assist from Ball here, as he weights the pass perfectly into the reach of fellow #2 overall pick Brandon Ingram.
TAKE #1
Unfortunately, Ball’s first take was a doozy:
Nothing against 21 Savage, but Jay-Z just released his most honest, direct, and intimate album probably ever. Rough start for Lonzo.
Gives: 0 Takes: 1
GIVE #2
This is Lonzo Ball’s specialty, and I’m excited for him to challenge Kevin Love for King of the Outlet Pass this season. It will require a truly terrible take for this assist to be surpassed.
TAKE #2
Sometimes the hardest questions are the ones that would most likely be asked by a child. What do you want to be when you grow up? What’s your favourite colour? Why?
In a Q&A with Sports Illustrated, Ball was asked one of these straightforward questions that is sneakily difficult: What’s your favourite food?
Lonzo’s response? Pancakes OR cinnamon rolls.
I am very proud of Lonzo here for a couple reasons. First, he hedged his bets and picked two foods, which is always smart. Second, I could see myself eating either of these every day so he can’t possibly be wrong. Well done Mr. Ball.
Gives: 1 Takes: 1
RAPID FIRE
To properly sift through the remainder of Lonzo’s recent history of gives and takes, I present two videos. Exhibit A is a collection of assists from Lonzo’s first two Summer League games. Exhibit B is an excerpt from his appearance on The Starters, in which he expressed many opinions while playing a self-explanatory game called “Baller or Nah?” Let’s examine:
EXHIBIT A
Highlights include the no look dish to Zubac at 0:46, the nice lead pass to Nwaba at 1:38, and a series of dope feeds to Kuzma throughout the video. Overall, this is a downright dazzling montage of passing prowess from Ball.
EXHIBIT B
BUT CAN IT SURVIVE THIS BAD-TAKE BARRAGE?!?!
In the span of just over 4 minutes, Lonzo Ball manages to rack up at least 6 disagreeable takes including such gems as:
Wearing Sunglasses Inside is indeed Baller (?)
Horses are not Baller (?!)
Taking Your Shoes Off on an Airplane IS Baller(?!?!?!)
Just when I thought Ball’s on-court skills had sealed the deal, he went ahead and vouched for SHOELESS FEET ON AIRPLANES.
FINAL VERDICT
While the Bad Takes made a scarily strong push near the end, the Good Gives are simply more convincing at this point. Lonzo’s ability to find his teammates is present in every game he plays and it should only improve as he gains chemistry with his squad. While he has shared an inordinate amount of Bad Takes for a rookie, I’m confident he will grow out of this habit as he learns from the veterans of the league. Plus, even if Lonzo continues his current pace of bad-takery, can they really keep up with plays like this and this?
Gives: 2 Takes: 1
I think not, which is why Lonzo Ball is the gift that keeps on Giving, even when he Takes.
