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New York Knicks: Keys to defeating the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 21

By Maxwell Ogden

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks in action against Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2017 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Lakers 113-109 in overtime. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 12: Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the New York Knicks in action against Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Madison Square Garden on December 12, 2017 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Lakers 113-109 in overtime. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 7: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on January 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 7: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks on January 7, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Opposing Player To Watch: Lonzo Ball

Forgive me for two obvious slides, but the franchise players are going to be the primary focal points of this game. While Kristaps Porzingis needs to score at a high level to help the New York Knicks win, it’s Lonzo Ball who must set the tone for Los Angeles.

If the Knicks allow Ball to dictate the pace of the game, winning on the road will become an infinitely more difficult challenge.

Many have drawn comparisons between Ball and future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd. It’s an understandable—and clearly ambitious—comparison that’s founded on the fact that Ball, like Kidd, has elite size for the point guard position and remarkable court vision.

What separates Ball from many of the point guards who rack up big numbers, however, is the fact that he does things that don’t show up in the box score.

Offensively, Ball does an outstanding job of getting the ball up court as quickly as possible—whether that results in his assist or not. Defensively, he’s already proving to be a better than advertised contributor from an on-ball perspective.

Ball has all of the tools to become one of the best point guards in the NBA, and the Knicks must be prepared for a potential slugfest with him leading the charge.

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