Patrick Beverley hounded Lonzo Ball in the latter's NBA debut after declaring he'd lock down the Los Angeles Lakers rookie and son of smack-talker LaVar Ball.
It worked, with the No. 2 pick registering just three points on 1-of-6 shooting to go along with nine rebounds and four assists in Thursday's loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
None of that came as a surprise to Washington Wizards point guard John Wall, who told TMZ Sports in February that LaVar saying Lonzo will be better than Stephen Curry puts "a lot of pressure on his kid."
Wall recently elaborated on that.
"I think his dad put him in a situation where guys are going to target him," Wall said of Ball on the "Wizards Tipoff" podcast. "Lonzo is one of those kids that is very talented. He's been a good player for years, he just don't say much. I think his dad does all the talking for him."
Many have said the same thing about LaVar's impact on his son, including Snoop Dogg, Kenny Smith, Joel Embiid, and the Ball patriarch himself.
Related: Embiid implores Simmons to dunk on Lonzo so hard LaVar has to save him
The All-NBA guard did praise Lonzo, though, and pointed to his bounce-back performance the following night.
"He's a great kid from what I've seen on the outside looking in," Wall said. "A lot of people in this league are going to take it personally. It's not the son's fault. He went back and had a better game (Friday against the Phoenix Suns). That's all he's gotta do is go out there and play. He's not gonna do any talking anyway. If he gets killed or don't get killed or kills somebody, he's not going to be the guy talking."
It's worth noting Wall felt slighted by a preseason graphic that featured marquee NBA players but excluded him while including Lonzo before the rookie played a single game. Don't be surprised if he carries some extra motivation into Wednesday's matchup against the Lakers.
- With h/t to NBC Sports Washington
