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Historic triple-double proves patience will pay dividends with Lonzo Ball

Tim Bradbury / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Lonzo Ball desperately needed the all-around efficient performance he put forth against the Milwaukee Bucks, not just to momentarily silence his critics, but to get out of his own head.

We had seen him display his exquisite court awareness in previous outings, so his 13 assists weren't much of a shock. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie also used his 6-foot-6 advantage as a point guard to corral 11 rebounds on the night - matching a season high.

Surprisingly enough, though, Saturday night marked just the fourth time in 13 games where Ball had scored 10 or more points. His shot was dropping, he connected from long distance, and was exuding confidence with his highly-ridiculed shooting stroke.

His final line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists, three steals, and three blocks on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from 3-point range made him the youngest player ever to record a triple-double.

After the Lakers got blown out by the Washington Wizards, Ball was starting to distinguish himself as one of the weakest shooters we had ever seen. Only one other player (Wayne Hightower) had a worse field-goal percentage than Ball through 12 games to begin a career. While he was contributing in other areas, those numbers were becoming too ugly to simply turn a blind eye to.

The word "bust" has been loosely tossed around to describe the second overall pick. Having his father, LaVar Ball, constantly praise him to the degree he does hasn't done him any favors, either. For a Lakers organization starving for a winner, there's been a staggering amount of pressure on Ball to produce results and be the Magic Johnson-clone some have pegged him to be.

When he falters, there's no avoiding it. On nights when he converts a quarter of his attempts like he did against the Wizards, Ball will be heavily scrutinized.

He's admitted that his issues shooting the rock affected his psyche, because as we witnessed during his lone year with the UCLA Bruins, Ball can in fact shoot, and shoot well. That's why it's so important for Ball to embrace nights like he had against the Bucks, and not allow his confidence to fade when the ball isn't falling through the mesh.

(image courtesy: Getty Images)

Thirteen games does not make a season, nor a career. It's going to be an emotional roller coaster keeping up with his fluctuating production, and the sooner everyone in Laker country and around the Association comes to peace with that, the better off Ball will be.

Let him compete. Let him succeed and fail. Allow Ball to learn from his mistakes and have a chance to redeem himself, which he did Saturday.

We've seen the best, worst, and everything in between from the rookie in such a short span, but the best looks pretty darn good.

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