Lonzo Ball‘s rookie season has had its ups and downs already, but he put together an impressive game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.
The 13th game of his NBA career brought him his first career triple-double, and in the process it put him in some elite company. Ball became the youngest ever NBA player to register a triple-double, notching double-digit points, rebounds and assists for the Lakers on Saturday night.
The triple-double record he broke, by the way, was previously held by LeBron James.
Lakers' Lonzo Ball (20 years, 15 days) becomes youngest NBA player to record a triple-double, eclipsing LeBron James (20 years, 20 days). 15P/10R/11A and counting. pic.twitter.com/h4xLGiBWJ6
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) November 12, 2017
Ball had a double-double in the first half, with 11 points and 10 assists in 24 minutes.
He just needed a handful of rebounds in the second half to reach the mark and got his ninth midway through the third quarter before finally notching his 10th rebound just minutes into the fourth quarter.
Every game Ball has played has been scrutinized, especially when he’s struggled. Charles Barkley mocked his poor shooting effort just days before his triple-double, and his debut against Patrick Beverely provided a good shot of schadenfreude for anyone who grew tired of hearing about the Ball family over the long summer.
But Lonzo has had good moments, and this was an encouraging sign for Lakers fans. Ball will never have the consistent scoring touch that James has shown throughout his career, but he certainly is expected to have the do-it-all abilities James relied on in his early years when the Cavaliers roster was thread-bare.
