Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball has had his fair share of ups and downs during the first 18 games of his NBA career, including some woeful shooting performances and a couple triple-doubles.
In last night's come from behind win over the Chicago Bulls, Lonzo's shooting struggles continued, scoring just eight points on 3/13 shooting, but he grabbed 13 rebounds, dished out four assists and was a +14 on the court.
After the game, Lakers head coach Luke Walton had to address comments made by Lonzo's father, LaVar, regarding the team's coaching staff.
During an interview with Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus earlier in the week, LaVar referred to the Lakers coaches as "soft" and said that they don't know how to coach his son Lonzo.
“They’re soft. They don’t know how to coach my son,” LaVar Ball said. “I know how to coach him. I tell him to go get the victory. Stop messing around.”
"Go get the W. Do whatever it takes. That's why I'm down here saying, 'Rebound,'" he continued. "He's been away from me too long. I see tendencies in his game—they're trying to baby him a little bit."
"What I mean by babying [Lonzo], 'He'll figure it out,'" Ball said. "It ain't about that. 'Be patient with him?' Ain't no patience if you're winning."
"They're letting it go too easy, saying they're a young team," he continued. "Forget about that! Put the [onus] on them. Say, 'You guys need to win. You've got enough talent. Win some games.'"
When asked how he would respond to the Big Baller's criticism, Lakers head coach Luke Walton told reporters, “Absolutely nothing. It’s not what we’re here to do or talk about.”
The young Lakers are currently 8-10 on the season after last night's win at Staples Center.
Lonzo and the boys will be back in action tonight as they take on the Kings in Sacramento. It will be the first time that Lonzo goes up against Kings rookie De'Aaron Fox since Kentucky ousted UCLA from the NCAA Tournament back in March.
