The 22-year-old New Orleans Pelicans’ point guard has many similarities to one of the all-time greats at his position.
It’s probably way too early to start comparing the New Orleans Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball to a Hall of Famer like Jason Kidd. Kidd said as much himself after media outlets were quick to crown Ball as the next great all-around point guard in the NBA.
Yes, it is premature, but Ball is starting to put up numbers that are eerily similar and have put him on the cusp of being an All-Star in the NBA.
In just his third season, Ball is already flashing the type of all-around talent that made Kidd a 10- time All-Star, but the similarities don’t end there. Both came into the league with below average jump shots, but had other skills to make up for it.
Both Ball and Kidd are natural leaders, which has become more evident with Ball since he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Ball has seized a prominent leadership role for the young Pelicans and is already the floor general for one of the best offenses in the NBA.
Kidd was known for being a team-first player, a guy who would sacrifice his own stats to get his team a win. Ball has shown similar characteristics, often affecting the game in little ways that don’t necessarily show up in the box scores.
They both entered the league with a strong history of winning, and like Kidd, Ball takes every loss personally.
The superficial similarities between Kidd and Ball are easy to spot, but they have a lot more in common than just good passing and leadership on the floor.
If Ball can continue to progress his all-around game with the New Orleans Pelicans, he has a chance to go down next to Kidd as one of the unique talents at the point guard position.