The Moment We Should Have Known Lonzo Ball Was a Bust

This article was transported from a June 20, 2019 Bleacher Report Piece

It's about that time, we not playin no more

Big boy stuff only.

Last night, all the hard work payin off.

All my fans, family: 'preciate y'all

Thank y'all for takin the

Journey with me and uhh, you know

Hopefully we can just move on from here

And everybody have a good time

And I can get in the league and do what I’m supposed to do.

Thank y’all.

Woooooo!

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After just two seasons in the NBA, it may be unfair to label Lonzo Ball a bust already. His poor shooting percentages combined with an inexplicably high turnover rate and defensive indifference appear to be problems, but it may be nothing one good summer can’t fix. However, if his career trajectory continues and he underperforms the others taken in a relatively strong top-10 of the 2017 NBA Draft, we only need to look back at the above video for the biggest clue as to why.

The video was released on the day of the NBA Draft. It begins with Ball’s back to the camera, so he can spin on his heels and reveal himself to the world in awkward fashion. It’s innocent enough at first - it shows he’s not taking himself too seriously, which is typically good. The problem is that he follows up his comedic opening with a bunch of awkward hand slaps and mumbling which undermine the hilarity of the performance. He sways back and forth, juts his head from side to side and often throws his arms open as if to say “What do you want from me?” He is NERVOUS.

The reason he is nervous is because he didn’t prepare for this video. He had no idea what he was getting himself into when the tape started rolling. Sound familiar? Leading up to his rookie season we were exhausted with claims from his dad that Lonzo is the hardest worker in the draft, but by the time games began it was clear he had evolved the least since the NCAA season. His shooting form never improved. His wont to throw incomplete passes hadn’t subsided. He’d put on no recognizable weight.

Beyond his clear confusion on what he should do with his body, Lonzo has no idea what he’s saying in this clip. I know because of the timing of the video that he wants to express his excitement for draft day, but he doesn’t even mention the draft. These things live on forever! Give people in the future a chance to understand context! Instead he talks about how all the hard work is paying off. Ummm, no, not yet Lonz. The payoffs come when your team starts getting W’s, not when your brother shoots a 30-second video of you in a hotel room. Winning was clearly never the most important thing to him.

It’s clear his brand is the most important thing, as evidenced by his t-shirt (don't get me started on the jeans), yet he drops the ball on a clear branding opportunity when he says “big boy stuff only.” Hello? Big BALLER stuff only. Big BALLER stuff only. No wonder he had to join Nike just one year after shunning the shoe giant.

Then he tells his fans and family that he ‘preciates them. Listen, if you can’t take the extra millisecond to let me know that you appreciate me, then I can’t help but question the legitimacy of the statement. The only people who’ve ever told me they ‘preciate something I’ve done were bros in high school after I lent them a pen they never returned. We should have known at THAT moment he’s in this all for himself.

What about that body roll that represents the journey? It has no fluidity. It’s forced. It’s like his jump shot. He needed to take that body roll to a dance instructor, but I’m sure he just told everyone that he’s always danced that way before and it’s always worked out. Sorry Lonzo, but dancing funny at prom isn’t in the same league as dancing in pre-game warmups with thousands watching - a lesson he no doubt learned after winning Shaqtin a Fool for his failed break dance attempts during layup lines.

His overuse of the term “y’all” was also disturbing coming from a man who isn’t from the south. Does he even know who he is? Watching him brick 35-foot step back J’s for two years would suggest to me he does not.

This was Lonzo Ball’s real NBA debut. The day of the draft. The moment he waited for his entire life and he couldn’t be bothered to do a dry run to show his excitement. Or maybe he did - maybe this was his 10th take and it turns out he didn’t know how to make the proper adjustments. Either way, it was a bad reflection on his practice habits and a clear sign he was doomed to bust from the drop.