Here’s Why We Should’ve Seen Lonzo Ball’s Triple-Double Record Coming
Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double at 20 years, 15 days, Saturday night.
LeBron James held the previous record at 20 years, 20 days.
Ironically, Ball achieved this record against the Bucks, coached by Jason Kidd (Former NBA champion and 10-time NBA All-Star). Ball’s abilities have frequently been compared to Kidd’s, whose passing vision and rebounds have made him a regular triple-double threat, ranking him third all-time in triple-doubles with 107, behind Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.
This comes just after Ball’s recent five-game shooting slump.
After a loss to the Celtics on November 8, Ball held the worst field goal percentage of any player ever to attempt at least 10 shots per game, according to Basketball-Reference. At this time, he shot 29.5 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from the three.
In a subsequent game against the Wizards, Ball’s shooting stats worsened to 29.2 percent from the field and 22 percent from the three.
This, paired with headline comparisons to teammate Kyle Kuzma, whose stats starkly contrasted Ball’s after the Wizard’s game (52.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent form the three) further deflated the projected superstar’s expectations, sending Ball’s previous achievements to the Internet graveyard.
Despite this, Ball’s earlier triumphs, although overlooked, provide valuable insight into his maturing basketball IQ and budding on-court capabilities.
Moreover, they were a clear early forecast to his inevitable triple-double.
Here are a few worth remembering.
Lonzo Ball Scores 29 Points as Lakers Top Suns For First Win of Season
After a season-opening loss to the Clippers, Ball remarked,
“The last game I shot six shots…That didn’t work out so well. Figured I’d try something else.”
And he did just that.
In the following game against the Suns, Ball took 27 shots, up 21 from the Clippers.
In the end, Ball walked away from that game with a career-high of 29 points, shooting a 44.4 three-point percentage and a 50.0 free-throw percentage.
For reference, as of Sunday morning, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the league in scoring with an average of 31.7 points per game, 30.4 three-point percentage and a 76.5 free-throw percentage.
Lonzo Ball Flirts with Triple-Double as L.A. Lakers Beat Phoenix Suns
In the same game where Ball tallied a career high of 29 points, he also tacked on his first double-double record to his stat sheet — 29 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists.
It was a brief reflection of Summer League, where Ball posted a paltry five points in his first game and rallied back to finish off the off-season with two triple-doubles.
Lonzo Ball Flirts with Triple-Double as Anthony Davis, Pelicans Beat Lakers
Again, Ball neared a triple-double. Though, this time, he and his team walked away with a loss to the Pelicans.
His final box score, eight points, 13 assists and eight rebounds.
Despite failing to snag the triple-double, his 13 assists did earn him the title of the youngest player in franchise history to tally at least 10 assists in a game, a title previously held by Magic Johnson.
Lonzo Ball Comes Away with Win in Matchup with Wizards’ John Wall
Following this loss to the Pelicans, three days later in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, the Lakers battled the Wizards late in the fourth to close a 10-point gap, sending the game into overtime, ultimately coming out on top.
In this game, Ball walked away with six points, eight rebounds and 10 assists.
Although he didn’t put up very many points, Ball was given credit for defending Wizards guard John Wall’s offensive plays after fellow Wizards teammate Marcin Gortat tweeted, “…@JohnWall will torture him [Lonzo].”
Gortat’s tweet came in response to an online video of Lonzo’s father, LaVar Ball, warning the Wizards to “…beware because Lonzo ain’t losing again. Not in the same week.”
Since then, Lonzo and his teammates went on to experience several losses.
Despite this, Ball, confident the team will pick up more wins in the months to come, offered a warning to critics,
To his point, the season is still in its infancy — two months in, with five to go. This leaves the Lakers with plenty of opportunities to secure more wins before the season’s end.
Until then, Ball must continue to navigate the intricacies of the NBA and relentlessly push his team to close out more games.
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