24-year-old Lonzo Ball has grown tremendously since being selected in the 2017 Draft.
After a few underwhelming seasons in Los Angeles, he played starting point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans, and it’s there that his game first began to blossom.
And now, roughly four years later, and ‘Zo has easily become one of the most valuable guards in the game today.
Speaking on his podcast, “The Old Man & The Three,” JJ Redick (who once played with Lonzo) talked about the growth he has seen in the former UCLA prospect and how getting away from the Lakers may have actually helped his career.
“There are certain pressusres that come with being the no. 2 pick. With his situation, there was probably more pressure given some of the family stuff — there was even more pressure given that he was drafted by the Lakers. What I’ve seen from him is that he’s comfortable and confident with who he is as a player, and who he is as a player is really f*cking good. He’s such an unselfish player, he’s willing to make the throw-ahead pass, he’s so disruptive defensively.
He has turned himself into one of the best shooters in the league. When he’s not thinking, and just shooting, he’s as good as anyone in the league shooting the ball.”
(start at 53:17)
As one of the best young players in his Draft class, Ball had to manage big expectations right away. As a Laker, those expectations were lifted even higher.
No matter what helped him settle down, the guy seems more comfortable and confident than he’s ever been on the basketball court, and we’re seeing him at his best with the Bulls, who are 8-3 this season.
Bal, 24, is averaging 12.6 points per game on a career-high 44% shooting from downtown.
