Lonzo Ball rebounds from disastrous debut, ends one assist shy of triple double

What's the story?

On Friday night, Lonzo Ball showed the world why the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him second overall this year as he finished one assist shy of becoming the youngest player ever to record a triple-double in the NBA. Ball led the Lakers to a 132-130 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

In case you didn't know...

Ball's NBA debut didn't go according to plan as he only made one field goal out of six attempts. He ended up with three points, four assists, and nine rebounds in 29 minutes of action in a 108-92 loss to cross-town rivals Los Angeles Clippers.

The heart of the matter

Ball rebounded in style, ending with 29 points on 12 for 27 shooting to go along with 11 rebounds on the previously mentioned 9 assists in 37 minutes. When the Suns tried to rally late in the game, Ball took over and scored 6 of the team's next 8 points, with 3 minutes to go in the game.

To nobody's surprise, LaVar Ball decided to get in on the action, commenting on his son's monster game by saying that the Lakers have 49 more to go, referring to his previous statement that Lonzo would lead his team to at least 50 wins in his rookie season. Take a look at the interview below:

What's next?

After a back-to-back to start the season, the Lakers (1-1) are off until Sunday when they return home to the Staples Center to face Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans (0-2).

Author's take

This is exactly why the Lakers drafted Ball at #2 this year. The ability to take over a game late is something the Lakers have lacked ever since Kobe Bryant retired.

For once, LaVar said something that made sense. When asked about his son nearly getting a triple-double, LaVar fired back, saying that all he cared about was the W.