Ever since Lonzo Ball came on to the scene as a highly-touted basketball recruit (and LaVar entered our lives) his combination of size and special play-making ability has led to a number of comparisons to hall of fame point guard and current Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd.
Ball has looked the part as a passer and rebounder at the point guard position thus far in his NBA career, but while Kidd wasn’t a great shooter early in his NBA career either, Ball has been putrid on the scoring front, shooting a horrific less than 30% from the field and 3-point line.
He is not the defender that Kidd was either in my opinion.
Kidd doesn’t completely buy the comparisons as he told ESPN’s First Take:
Here are some quotes from Kidd in the interview:
“…And so far it’s still early in his career, and as someone said earlier, it’s a stretch. He has to understand what it means to play hard and what it means to win, and how to win at the highest level. And it takes time.
In three years, hopefully there’s a better comparison, but right now it’s a stretch and he has a way to go.”
Jason Kidd is definitely right, but Ball is also only 20 and deserves some more time before reserving too much judgement.
He is nowhere near as fast as a young Kidd and will more than likely never be the defender Kidd was, but he could still be every bit the floor general, passer and rebounder and will improve his shooting and scoring ability as he develops and adjusts to the NBA game.
