There’s one person who feels the comparisons between Lonzo Ball and Jason Kidd are premature, and that’s Jason Kidd.
The Bucks coach shrugged when asked about Ball, the Lakers rookie with the ability to see the floor but not shoot from it. The Lakers play the Bucks on Saturday (8:30 ET on NBA League Pass) and Kidd will get his first in-person view of Ball. But Kidd doesn’t need this game to tell him what he already knows.
He spoke with Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN and tried to put a halt on the high expectations of Ball, at least for now:
“I am not saying it is not fair [to make the comparison], but it is too early,” the Milwaukee Bucks coach told ESPN.com by telephone in an interview about Ball. “People are talking about Rookie of the Year; we are already talking about awards [for Ball]. But it is really early and we are 12 games into this. We are jumping the gun a little bit. Let’s enjoy and watch this young kid play and then we will make the comparison at 40 games [or more].
“Let him get some games under his belt. I truly think he is talented. Today we want everything microwaved, we want it overnight or we want it Googled. We want to see the answer now.”
On Saturday, Ball and the Lakers face Kidd and his Bucks in Milwaukee for the first time this season. Ball has naturally drawn comparisons to the future Hall of Fame point guard because of the rookie’s pass-first mentality, his passing ability and flashy full-court passes, his ability to rebound as a bigger point guard and his court vision. Kidd was also an elite defender, and his peers often put his desire to win, leadership and competitiveness among the all-time greats.
Ball, 20, has a long way to go before he lives up to comparisons to Kidd, who was an NBA champion, a 10-time All-Star, five-time first-team All-NBA performer, five-time assists leader, three-time All-Defensive selection and Co-Rookie of the Year in 1994-95.
