The Los Angeles Lakers are hopeful that they landed their next superstar in Lonzo Ball, who they selected with the second pick in this summer’s NBA Draft.
Ball’s court vision and ability to throw pinpoint-accurate passes have many believing that he will go a long way towards opening up the Lakers offense and bringing a fun, exciting playing style back to the Staples Center.
Despite the optimism regarding Ball, the reality is that he is only 19 years old and will face some growing pains as he adjusts to life in the NBA. He’s going to need to lean on mentors to help him transition to being a professional, and according to an interview he recently gave on the Marcellus and Kelvin Show on ESPN Radio, he recently worked out with a couple of fairly good ones:
“KD came up there to work out last week. I got to work out with him and that was cool. Him and Steve Nash,” Ball said.
Ball is an impressive talent, and working out with the likes of Nash and Kevin Durant certainly isn’t going to hurt his development. Both are among the best players in NBA history and can help him in a number of ways, although perhaps the most important lesson is learning how NBA players prepare themselves for the season.
Moreover, as one of the best passers to ever hit the hardwood, Nash’s tutelage could be extremely beneficial for Ball. While he wasn’t an elite-level athlete, Nash managed to have a massive impact on the game by masterfully using angles and torturing opponents with the high pick-and-roll, something Ball didn’t do a lot of at UCLA.
It’s not going to happen overnight, but the Lakers hope that Ball will eventually become the transcendent player that they have been searching for, and training with legends like Durant and Nash is a step towards that goal.