Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised at how much hate Los Angeles Lakers PG Lonzo Ball is receiving from the masses. After all, his father LaVar Ball is as over-the-top as a basketball dad can be. Many seem to be blinded by rage and fury of the elder Ball’s nonstop bravado and hyperbole regarding his son. For me though, it’s easy to separate the father’s attention-seeking antics from the player’s prospects.
Lonzo Ball is going to be a great NBA player.
Is he “better than Steph Curry right now,” as his father once asserted? Absolutely not.
Will he be “better than Michael Jordan?” The chances are slim-to-none.
However, that does not mean that Lonzo won’t blossom into an All-Star caliber player. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that Ball will reach All-Star status within four seasons, even in the stacked Western Conference.
Four seasons is how long it took the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to make his first All-Star game. A season later, the Milwaukee Bucks’ do-it-all forward is garnering legitimate consideration as the best player in the league.
I recently witnessed two good friends go berserk at the mere suggestion that Ball is an extremely talented player. One friend is so anti-Ball that he texted me for nearly two hours straight (starting at 11 p.m.) about why the 6-foot-6 point guard is a “bum.” The text exchange included detailed plays, game plans and schemes to shut down Big Baller Brand’s star athlete. Gregg Popovich would’ve been proud.
Another friend derided his defense, awkward jump shot, terrible field goal percentage and lack of toughness. All of those concerns are valid, but keep in mind that we’re talking about a rookie – one with less than 10 NBA games under his belt.
Because of his father’s mouth, Lonzo Ball is being judged compared to the all-time greats rather than his peers. Ball has flirted with a triple-double in three of his first seven NBA games. His current averages of 10.4 points, 7.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds comparable favorably to last season’s Rookie of the Year Malcom Brogdon. Brogdon averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds a season ago for the Bucks.
I wholeheartedly agree with those who compare Ball to a young Jason Kidd. His court vision and precision passing skills are extraordinary. He is also a tremendous rebounder for a point guard. Like a young Kidd, his jumper needs work. But let’s not forget that Kidd went from a kid that people jokingly called “ason” due to his lack of a ‘J’ to knocking down the 8th most three pointers in NBA history.
Other all-time greats such as Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash struggled mightily during their rookie seasons. Each of them had the talent and work ethnic to keep grinding away until those laughs turned into cheers. They grew from their struggles. Ball will do the same.
Despite all the shade being thrown his way, Lonzo will shine.
UA shoots an air ball with Curry 4
As a recovering sneaker addict, I generally stay away from sneaker blogs and social media posts in order to prevent falling back into my former quasi-addiction. (A Swoosh account, nearby Nike outlets and a squad full of Jordanheads is a dangerous mix).
Before this year, the last shoes I purchased were two pair of Under Armour Curry Ones in 2015. The kicks were specifically purchased as basketball shoes. Though Nike (and its subsidiary Jordan Brand) dominates the sneaker market in the U.S., the Curry One was a different look and a very comfortable shoe.
After two years of handing out buckets, bad memories and Ls to all comers, it was time to grab some new kicks. Luckily for me, the Curry Ones lasted through all the extra-average design models of UA’s signature sneaker line.
Once Curry premiered the Curry 4 during the 2017 NBA Finals, I knew it was set to be the hottest basketball shoe release of the year. Fast-forward a few months to the release date and I was back in familiar position – laptop out, staring at the clock waiting for 9 a.m. to arrive, fingers stretched, limber and in the ready position. Once the clock struck nine, I raced to toss a pair of size 15s into my cart before they sold out only to discover that the Curry 4 is only sold up to size 14.
After checking a few other websites, I decided to send a tweet to Under Armour directly to confirm this horrendous, first-world catastrophe.
“@AskTeamUA @UnderArmour Why are there no size 15s available for the #Curry4?” I nervously tweeted. “Will this size be available at a later date?”
“Not in the plans for the initial launch, but your feedback has been noted,” they replied. “Stay tuned at a later time!”
Ouch.
Please pardon my self-pity and Sasquatch chronicles for one moment. My shock wasn’t only because I couldn’t get a shoe that I wanted. True sneakerheads know that missing out on a cop is just part of the game. I was legitimately shocked that Under Armour’s signature shoe, a basketball shoe, was not being made in sizes that many basketball players actually wear.
According to a study conducted in 2013 by SLAM, the average NBA player shoe size is 14.81 aka size 15. That means that Curry’s shoe is not made in a size that fits the average NBA player.
Just for the sake of reference, here are the sizes of a few notable NBA stars. Curry wears a size 13.5. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook wear size 15. Kevin Durant wears size 18 shoes.
If UA wants to be taken seriously in the sneaker market, it’ll have to produce its signature shoes in sizes players can actually wear. (Let’s not even get into the fact that the Curry 4 ‘release’ was actually a ‘pre-order’ due to manufacturing woes.)
As for my personal Bigfoot diary, I simply waited one more day and picked up a pair of LeBron 15s. I guess Nike is the market leader for a reason.
Follow Ishmael and In the Clutch on Twitter @IshmaelSistrunk
