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The way people talk about Lonzo Ball is one of the absolute best ways to figure out whether or not they watched him or the Los Angeles Lakers last season. In the second part of Locked on Lakers’ season preview series, Harrison comes back on to discuss what we saw from Ball last year and look ahead to what fans can hope for from the promising young guard next year alongside LeBron James.
For a quick refresher, here’s the format of our previews:
In segment one, we discuss the season(s) the player had to get them to where they are now. That kind of context is critical in properly setting expectations moving forward.
Segment two covers what we’d like to see from the player individually.
Then, in the the third segment, we figure out how those individual expectations fit into the team construct.
So, for Ball, we start by discussing last year and, unfortunately, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention some of the narratives that all too often colored the analysis from those who didn’t watch him play. Basically, if the first thing we hear about Lonzo is how much someone doesn’t like LaVar, you know you’re in for some hot-takery.
Harrison put it pretty well but I won’t say what he said or give him credit and it’s a good thing he definitely isn’t reading this.
Looking ahead to next season, we both agree that Lonzo’s defense will set the tone for the rest of his game. For now, that’s where he provides the most value and, given how LeBron plays defense at this stage of his career, it makes the fit with Lonzo all the more logical.
Speaking of fit, in the third segment, we discuss the dynamic between him and Rajon Rondo. This will be something to watch all season, especially if Lonzo isn’t quite 100 percent heading into training camp.
As always, this is just a tidbit of the full context given in the show. Listen to the full discussion below and please check out old episodes or guarantee you won’t miss any ever again by subscribing on iTunes.