Kobe Bryant: Lonzo Ball 'needs to get better now'
Add Kobe Bryant to the chorus of people with opinions on Lonzo Ball.
Bryant sat down for an interview with Spectrum SportsNet in L.A. to discuss his legacy and upcoming jersey retirement. But, as with many things basketball lately that lead to the Ball family, the discussion turned to Lonzo’s performance with the Lakers, as shared by LonzoWire.
“He needs to get better now, Bryant said. “[Kyle] Kuzma, better now. [Julius] Randle, better now. Players, you want that now.
“We never thought, ‘OK, we’re going to win four years from now. We really thought this is our year. We’re going to get this done. We’re going to push, push, push, push, push to get better now.’ And in the process of having that impatience, you develop. If you’re just patiently going about it, you’ll never get there. For players, it’s kind of patient impatience.”
It wasn’t a direct criticism of Ball and his young teammates, but more advice and sharing of a mindset he took on as a rookie on a loaded Lakers team that wasn’t ready to compete for championships.
Bryant reinforced via Twitter on Saturday that he is coming from a place of support rather than criticism for the young Lakers.
He and they will be just fine. They will do the necessary work and yrs from now none of u will remember the struggles. #laker4life #goldenarmor https://t.co/aKJT3FpZcW
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) December 9, 2017
Lakers fans, meanwhile, would be wise to take to heart Bryant’s point about patience. While they’re making progress and have a potentially bright future, this is clearly a team not ready to win now.
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