LaVar Ball: Lonzo Would Make LeBron James Better If He Signed with Lakers
LeBron James may already be the best all-around basketball player in the world, but LaVar Ball believes he can get even better in Los Angeles.
According to Lakers Nation, the Ball family patriarch said Tuesday that playing alongside Lonzo Ball with the Los Angeles Lakers would help take James to another level.
Ball supported his claim by saying Lonzo helped Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle make strides last season.
The thought James could get better is hard to fathom considering he is already a 14-time All-Star, four-time MVP, three-time NBA champion and three-time NBA Finals MVP.
He has also played in each of the past eight NBA Finals.
At the age of 33, LeBron had one of his best individual seasons in 2017-18 as well, averaging 27.5 points, 9.1 assists and 8.6 rebounds, while appearing in all 82 regular-season games for the first time.
He was even better during the playoffs, leading a somewhat ragtag group to the Finals by virtue of averaging 34.0 points, 9.1 rebounds and 9.0 assists per contest.
By comparison, Lonzo struggled at times during his rookie season, as he averaged 10.2 points per game and shot just 36.0 percent from the field.
Ball contributed in other ways, though, by putting up 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
His ability to spread the ball around likely played at least some role in Kuzma, Ingram and Randle's each averaging 16.1 points per game, representing career highs for all of them.
James has been tight-lipped about his free-agency plans, but Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported in March that the Lakers were one of four teams he would consider playing for, along with the Cavs, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Lakers haven't reached the playoffs since 2012-13, but signing LeBron would make them significantly better even if Lonzo doesn't do the same for him.
