Magic Johnson believes Lonzo Ball’s dazzling performances in the Las Vegas Summer League are a shape of things to come as the Los Angeles Lakers attempt to regain former glories.
Ball, chosen by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the draft, was named MVP of the summer league after posting two triple doubles and recording four games with 10 assists or more.
The 19-year-old’s performances rewrote the record books in the summer league. Until this year, no rookie had posted more than one with 10 assists and no rookie had completed more than one triple double.
According to Johnson, that bodes well for the Lakers’ future.
“If he’s getting triple-doubles in the summer league, he is going to get triple-doubles in the regular season,” Johnson, the Lakers president of basketball operations, told reporters Tuesday.
“Just like me, when I got here, there was pressure. I was the No. 1 pick. I didn’t care about that. I am going to play my game. Lonzo is going to play his game. The great ones do,” he was quoted by ESPN as saying.
Johnson, who was speaking at the unveiling of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at their El Segundo training base, said he had seen similarities between Ball and himself in his performances to date.
“Lonzo is special, no question about it, because he makes everyone better,” Johnson said. “He does something you can’t teach. He gives you a scoring pass. Very few point guards in this league can do that. I am talking about giving you a pass that leads to the score, not just passing it to you.... I like him because he also is now a great teammate. He has a special effect on people.”
The Lakers, who completed the worst season in the franchise’s history in 2016 with a 17-65 record, and were second bottom in the Western Conference last season, were already a better team, Johnson said.
“The roster is more balanced. We saw the ball movement in summer league.... We want to go up and down.... Also, our practices are going to be amazing, and that will lead to us getting better in games,” he said.
New uniforms do away with home and away designations
Nike has unveiled new NBA uniforms for the 2017-2018 season that dispense with traditional ‘home’ and ‘away’ team designations.
The home team will instead pick from four primary uniforms to be worn at all home games and visiting teams will choose a contrasting uniform within their own assortment.
White ‘Association’ uniforms will replace the typical home jersey, while the ‘Icon’ version uses the team’s primary colour and replaces the road uniforms. Nike, which has replaced Adidas as the NBA’s uniform supplier, will reveal the two remaining uniforms in the coming months. The world’s No1 footwear maker said on Tuesday that it employed 3D-body maps of players, including heat and sweat maps, to design cooler, lighter uniforms for players to wear during the NBA’s gruelling 82-game season. NBA players tested early versions of the uniforms and provided feedback that prompted Nike to evolve the designs in ways that included moving the armhole, neck and side seams to eliminate distractions for athletes, the company said.
“The mental advantage of a quality uniform is priceless,” Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving said in a press release.
“The fact that Nike listened to all of our feedback while developing the new NBA uniforms speaks volumes. I’m excited for the new fit and feel,” he said. The most significant change comes to the back shoulder of the uniform where Nike designers altered the construction for an improved fit, the company said. The uniform is comprised of a combination of Alpha Yarns and recycled polyester, with each athlete uniform representing approximately 20 recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.
“Not only does this yarn blend match Nike’s broad commitment to sustainability, it also removes moisture more quickly than previous NBA uniforms, wicking sweat 30-percent faster than current NBA uniforms,” Nike said in a release. Nike will also unveil new tights and socks to complement the uniforms and provide a seamless look for the athletes, it said.
Lonzo Ball
