Bulls' Lonzo Ball: 'I didn't really live up to' expectations with Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers picking UCLA product and L.A. native Lonzo Ball in 2017 seemed almost too good of a story to be true, and it turns out that it was. Now Ball is offering some interesting reflections on his time with them.

The Chicago Bulls guard spoke this week to Dime Magazine and made an admission about his Lakers career — that he failed to meet expectations.

“This is my third team in five years, and every team’s been a different experience for myself,” said Ball. “Obviously, coming to L.A., I was a young kid with a lot of expectations put on me that I didn’t really live up to.

“Then [I] got shipped off to New Orleans, where I worked on my game and improved the areas that needed the most help in,” Ball went on. “Now I’m the player I am in Chicago, one of the key guys and trying to contribute every night in and night out.”

Ball, who turned 24 this past October, was just 19 years old when the Lakers drafted him. His growing pains were pronounced as a rookie, especially his wobbly shooting ability. The scrutiny only intensified when LeBron James arrived on the Lakers in 2018, a move that changed the overall trajectory of both the franchise as well as of Ball’s development. Ball was eventually traded to the Pelicans in 2019 as part of the Anthony Davis deal.

In New Orleans and now in Chicago, Ball has flown more under the radar and has quietly been able to develop his game into that of a strong all-around winning piece. As for his time with the Lakers, there is probably another reason why Ball had such massive expectations then.