When LaVar Ball coughs, ESPN will make it a headline. When he makes a comment about the status about the Lakers, ESPN will make sure to spread it like a wildfire. Earlier this week, LaVar Ball stated that he thought that the Lakers didn’t want to play for Luke Walton. When Lakers rookie PG Lonzo Ball was asked to confirm or deny his father’s comments, Ball managed to do neither.
“I’ll play for anybody,” Ball said. “My job is to play basketball. I don’t decide who the coach is.”
Luckily for Walton, the other Lakers star rookie offered a clear statement. Kyle Kuzma, who has arguably been the best rookie on the Lakers, did not hold back his support for his head coach.
“I don’t think that’s the case,” Kuzma said Monday. “When you lose games, at the end of the day Luke isn’t the one going out and shooting 2-for-15, turning the ball over, having turnovers or missing free throws. That’s us. Can’t blame the coaching staff for everything. It’s mutual, of course. Players mess up, coaches mess up. We as a team have to be more accountable.”
“It’s just a lot of white noise, in a sense. Luke is my guy. I love playing for him. I’m sure most of us love playing for him too. We stand by Luke. I know the front office does.”
Even if what LaVar Ball is saying is true, it seems like the future stars of the Lakers love playing for their head coach. As long as Walton has the backing of Ball and Kuzma, Magic Johnson can continue to build this young team around their young head coach.
