The always outspoken and enigmatic LaVar Ball is back at it again. After making news due to a public spat with President Donald Trump, Lonzo Ball’s father has turned his attention to the team his son plays for.
And it promises to rattle a few cages within the Los Angeles Lakers’ organization.
“They’re soft. They don’t know how to coach my son,” Ball said, via Bleacher Report. “I know how to coach him. I tell him to go get the victory. Stop messing around.”
Well, that’s one way to put it. Specifically, Ball is talking about the Lakers and head coach Luke Walton benching his son multiple times during the guard’s rookie season in Los Angeles.
“Go get the W. Do whatever it takes. That’s why I’m down here saying. He’s been away from me too long,” Ball continued. “I see tendencies in his game — they’re trying to baby him a little bit. What I mean by babying, ‘He’ll figure it out.’ It ain’t about that. ‘Be patient with him?’ Ain’t no patience if you’re winning.”
To be fair, Ball does have somewhat of a point. The Lakers head into Tuesday’s action with a 7-10 record and are on pace to win 34 games after combining for 43 wins over the past two seasons. There’s definitely improvement here.
Ball is also a 20-year old point guard less than two years removed from high school. There promises to be struggles on that end.
Though, without anything that could be defined as a filter, the older Ball is sitting here calling out the very same men who are tasked with helping his son improve in the NBA. They will play a larger role in Lonzo’s on-court maturation than LaVar himself.
Through the first 17 games of his rookie campaign, Lonzo Ball is averaging 8.9 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. He’s also shooting at a horrid 31 percent from the field.
Lakers coaches are the ones that will help him turn it around from a shooting perspective this season, not LaVar.