Luke Walton has an interesting perspective when it comes to the relationship between standout rookie point guard Lonzo Ball and his opinionated and brash father, LaVar.
LaVar has done all the talking in terms of hyping his son for the NBA, and so far the results have been mixed. Lonzo is an exceptional passer and rebounder but he has been a putrid shooter. Some would argue that Ball isn’t even the best rookie on his team. That title would belong to swingman Kyle Kuzma.
Because of his father’s outspoken nature, and because he refused to work out for the Celtics during the draft process, the rather whisper-quiet Ball was booed each time he touched the ball during the Celtics’ 107-96 victory on Wednesday night at TD Garden.
He has become a villain of sorts because of his father’s braggadocio, which is unfair, but LaVar isn’t on the court to draw boos of his own. So it will be his son’s reality indefinitely.
“It’s their home,’’ Lonzosaid of Celtics fans in Boston. “I’d boo too if I was a fan. Second pick. I’ve been getting booed every time we go away, so . . . ’’
Lonzo shrugged off the criticism. He has spent 20 years with his father and is accustomed to the Bundini Brown-type promotion. It’s up to Lonzo to back those words up, and until he does, there will be boos.
Walton’s father, Bill, is known for his opinions, his love for the Grateful Dead, and his gushing on topics that have nothing to do with the game during his basketball broadcasts. There was one incident during Luke’s time at the University of Arizona when the Wildcats played Purdue in the Wooden Classic, with Bill serving as analyst.
When Luke threw an errant pass, Bill quipped, “Terrible pass by Walton.’’
So Luke knows about chattering fathers.
“The best way is just to realize he’s his own man and I’m my own man,’’ Luke said when asked his approach to having an opinionated father. “I don’t expect to be judged on things my dad does or says, and I think that was the same with me. I’m going to make my own mistakes and that doesn’t mean my dad failed as a father. It’s just our own individuals. That’s just how I dealt with it best.’’
LaVar has already complained about his son’s lack of playing time in the fourth quarter, and he has already responded to other point guards around the league who said they have targeted matchups with the Lakers so they can school his son. Luke is in the midst of trying to push the Lakers to respectability after four straight seasons missing the playoffs. He has little concern for LaVar’s opinions, but he understands they will be a constant.
“I’ve had some talks with his dad, he’s a nice man, enjoyed the conversations with him,’’ Walton said. “As far as pointers, those are decisions our coaching staff would make.
“The influence he has is on his son — who his son is and the way he carries himself. He obviously says his opinion, which is fine. He’s allowed to do that, but we don’t make decisions based on that. I’ve said that before, I think he’s done a great job with Zo. Zo’s a humble young man; he works extremely hard, he’s unselfish, his teammates love him, so he’s done a fine job raising his son.’’
Lonzo’s coachability, his basketball acumen and desire to improve are what impress Walton. Lonzo is not LaVar. What’s more, he probably couldn’t be any different than his father, so there has been no friction.
“I don’t think he plays like he has pressure on him, but as far as if he has it, only he can answer that question. He seems to play like he’s out here just trying to win games with his teammates,’’ Walton said. “The way he plays the game and the way I want to coach the game is very similar. It’s an unselfish brand, it’s an uptempo brand of basketball. He’s a special player where he naturally just wants to get his teammates involved; he wants to do whatever it takes for his team to win and he’s not concerned with the hype of scoring 20 points or what the media is going to say about him.
“The ironic thing, because he plays that way the media talks about him every single day and we drafted him No. 2. So maybe a lesson to be learned by young point guards. But he’s a lot of fun to have around every day.’’
It’s been a difficult week for the Ball family. Lonzo’s struggles pale in comparison to those of his younger brother LiAngelo, who got arrested in Shanghai with two UCLA teammates for shoplifting. LaVar and youngest son LaMelo were also in China, but Lonzo has fielded questions about the topic the past few days.
“It’s still my little brother but I’ve got to go out here and play,’’ Lonzo said.
Walton and team president Magic Johnson have had conversations with Lonzo to keep him steady. Being the star point guard in the entertainment capital with a mouthy father and major expectations can be overwhelming. Yet Lonzo hasn’t shown any signs of cracking.
“I’ll ask him, check in on him, and I know Magic talks to him, but a lot of that goes to just who he is,’’ Walton said. “Every day, with all the stuff going on, he said, ‘Coach, I’m good, I’m ready to play.’ When he talks you believe him.’’
The 6-foot-6-inch, 190-pounder has made just 29.2 percent of his shots through 12 games. He is 13 for 59 from the 3-point line. His shot looks broken. He is struggling to finish. He’s trying not to press.
“It’s a long season, just got to stay positive and keep putting in work,’’ he said. “Right now I’m not making no shots, so I’ll just keep shooting. I think it’s just in my head, to be honest. I know I can shoot the ball. It’s very intense. Everybody comes out here trying to be the best and it’s the best players in the world going at it every night. It’s a lot of fun but it’s full of challenges.’’
The biggest challenge may be living up to his father’s expectations. And that is unfair.
RIVALRY REVISITED
Walton’s view is from both sides
Luke Walton never has enough words for the Lakers-Celtics rivalry, and again he shared an interesting perspective. He was a major Celtics fan during his younger days when his dad was a Boston center. Years later, Luke was drafted by the Lakers as a second-round pick in 2003.
Walton played his first eight NBA seasons with the Lakers, including two NBA Finals matchups against the Celtics in 2008 and 2010.
“Obviously [my memories] are a little different as a child than as an adult,’’ he said. “Larry Bird was my favorite player of all time. Still is. We were big-time Celtics fans as kids, my dad playing on the team and all. Not really recognizing how big that rivalry really was then. And then I got a chance to play in it being drafted by the Lakers. Playing [the Celtics] in two different Finals and seeing how much hatred was there between the two teams was pretty awesome. Obviously it’s one of the best in all of sports and makes for entertaining games most of the time.’’
Of course, as with most of the Lakers’ roster born in the 1990s, the current players’ perspective of the rivalry isn’t as intense or vivid as Walton’s. Digesting the enormity of the matchup will take time.
“Some of [the players] get [the rivalry] more than others. Lonzo Ball grew up in LA. I think if you grew up in either one of these cities, you are probably well-schooled on the rivalry. But for some of those guys, they don’t know much about it,’’ Walton said. “Two of the best organizations there are and what a unique circumstance my dad and myself are in within that rivalry. We were on both sides of it. It’s pretty special.’’
STARS WILL COME OUT
Chicago’s change of heart rewarded
For years, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf wanted nothing to do with hosting another All-Star Game following the 1988 contest because of the hassle on the host city and the lack of ticket availability for the team’s season ticket-holders. So commissioner Adam Silver was stunned when the city applied to host the 2020 game. Chicago’s request was granted, and Reinsdorf is on board with the process.
“It surprised me a little bit given [Reinsdorf’s] long-standing opposition,’’ Silver said. “But as I said earlier, Mayor [Rahm] Emanuel was very persuasive. In addition, I did, of course, then talk to Jerry at the time, and he clearly had mellowed a bit over the years. I think that especially now with Michael [Reinsdorf] in day-to-day operations, and as I just heard Michael’s son, Joey, being in favor of bringing it here — I think Jerry said, ‘If everyone wants it here, it should be here.’ So that’s how it happened.’’
Franchises such as the Celtics have had similar reservations about hosting the All-Star Game. Boston hasn’t hosted the game since 1964 and has no intentions of applying at this point.
Owners around the league continue to be concerned about loyal season ticket-holders getting bumped off of choice seats by league officials and sponsors. Seating at the All-Star Game has long been an issue because of the number of league sponsors that require seating.
“It’s part of the issue for the home team that we’re bringing in people all over the world, and of course we need those seats,’’ Silver said. “What’s helped since 1988 is because we now have all these other events, whether it be a rookie-sophomore game on Friday night, additional activities like a celebrity game, a huge Jam Session in town — it creates other opportunities to take care of the season ticket-holders.
“Also for the season ticket-holders, we may not be able to put them in their same seats, but to the extent we can, we try to take care of them at events. So it’s a balance. My sense for the season ticket-holders, many of whom I’ve talked to, I don’t think their ultimate view is we’d rather not have it at all if we can’t have our same seats. I think they still appreciate what it means for the community and what it means for the team to bring the All-Star festivities to Chicago.’’
ETC.
Developing Kings have eye on future
The Kings are taking small steps toward being a Western Conference contender — eventually. They just scored victories over the Thunder and 76ers, with coach Dave Joerger playing 12 players at least 12 minutes per game.
Veterans Zach Randolph and George Hill have stabilized the roster with their presence and production, but the future of the Kings is their talented, young core of De’Aaron Fox, Willie Cauley-Stein, Buddy Hield, and Skal Labissiere.
Joerger, like Luke Walton with the Lakers, understands it’s all about the future. The Kings realize they won’t be a playoff team this year, and Joerger has the unenviable task of building while trying to keep veterans who want to win now engaged.
He is working to ensure the younger players don’t become discouraged as the season wears on. There are moments like Fox’s last-minute, game-winning jumper on Thursday against the 76ers that offer optimism.
“We’ve got to get older and just keep getting better,’’ Joerger said. “We’ve got a lot of young guys who keep working and plugging away every day. It’s not about being selfish; the game’s going awful fast for a lot of guys right now. I try not to hit them over the head every time out and being negative. Very rarely have I lost it so far this season — which I think twice a year you can go temporarily insane. But it’s about where we are going to be two years from now. I think we need to look at it with a broader lens. That’s my approach on a daily basis.
“Also, we have good guys. So to go to work every day there’s a youthful energy. There’s a short-term memory there, but long-term in what we’re learning.’’
What Joerger is doing is using Randolph, Hill, and ageless Vince Carter as assistant coaches, in a sense. Allow the veterans to guide the youngsters with advice instead of Joerger having to jump on players for their mistakes consistently.
“I coached [Randolph and Carter] before and it’s worked,’’ Joerger said. “We’re not running exactly the same system we ran with Marc [Gasol] and Zach in Memphis, but the way we set it up, it’s important to our core values. They can co-sign what I’m saying and sometimes save me a voice.’’
Fox has the potential to be a frontline point guard. He has elite speed, a fearless style, and the poise to lead the Kings’ resurgence. The issue has been his shooting — he has missed 13 of his 16 3-point attempts. But Joerger sees a similarity between Fox and Memphis point guard Mike Conley, who a decade ago entered the NBA with eerily the same skill set.
“It can be almost too easy, lefthanded, stringy, ‘ah they’re not very good shooters coming out of college,’ both are labeled winners. Both have a moxie to them,’’ Joerger said. “Mike just continues to get better and better and better. That’s one of the things, you like being around Mike, you’ll like being around De’Aaron.’’
Layups
The Suns will shop newly acquired Greg Monroe after getting him from the Bucks in the Eric Bledsoe deal. The Suns don’t need Monroe, but they are unlikely to get anything in value for him because he’s a free agent next summer. The Celtics own an $8.4 million disabled players’ exception generated from the Gordon Hayward injury and Monroe may be the type of quality contributor the Celtics acquire with that money. The Celtics cannot use that $8.4 million in a trade for a player signed beyond this season. So the club is likely to examine the buyout market in addition to perhaps acquiring an impending free agent who may be available in coming weeks. There will be several interested teams in Monroe, who is more of a traditional center with the ability to score in the post . . . The Lakers are trying to find a taker for Luol Deng, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract under the previous regime in Los Angeles. That deal was a mistake almost moments after Deng signed. The Lakers were trying to fill salary-cap space and help their young core by signing Deng and center Timofey Mozgov to four-year deals. The Deng contract could become a salary-cap clogger eventually, and Deng has told reporters in Los Angeles that he wants a new team. It will be nearly impossible to find a team willing to pay Deng, who shot a career-low 38.7 percent from the field last season and has been limited to just one game this year. Deng is traveling with the Lakers on their current East Coast road trip and is trying to stay sharp. He and the team continue to discuss potential options to break ties. Deng enjoyed a strong year as a full-time starter in 2015-16 with Miami but the Lakers’ deal sounded like it was doomed from the moment he arrived in Los Angeles.
Gary Washburn can be reached at gwashburn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GwashburnGlobe. Material from interviews, wire services, other beat writers, and league and team sources was used in this report.
