Magic Johnson Says Summer League Shows Lonzo Ball Can Succeed in NBA

As Magic Johnson sees it, Lonzo Ball's Las Vegas Summer League performance was just the tip of the iceberg.

Speaking Tuesday at an introductory press conference for free-agent addition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, the Los Angeles Lakers' president of basketball operations told reporters he believes Ball is headed for big things based on his play in Sin City.

"You can see that. If he's getting triple-doubles in the summer league, he is going to get triple-doubles in the regular season," Johnson said, per ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk. "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."

Ball took home Las Vegas Summer League MVP honors by averaging 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. The No. 2 overall pick also piled up two triple-doubles during his stay in the desert.

The first came against the Boston Celtics when he posted 11 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a narrow five-point loss. The second occurred five days later as Ball thrashed the Cleveland Cavaliers for 16 points, 12 dimes and 10 boards in a 94-83 win.

The UCLA product also torched the Philadelphia 76ers for 36 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds and five steals in the defining game of his offseason slate.

Thanks to those efforts, Ball joined Blake Griffin (2009) and John Wall (2010) as the only top-two picks in Vegas Summer League history to win MVP, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Replicating that success in the regular season won't be easy, as developmental speed bumps figure to crop up from time to time, but Ball proved throughout his successful summer run that he has the tools necessary to be a game-changer at the next level.