NBA: Jason Kidd brushes off comparisons to Lonzo Ball: ‘It’s a stretch’

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd checks the scoreboard during the second half in Game 1 of the NBA basketball playoffs against the Chicago Bulls, Saturday, April 18, 2015, in Chicago.  AP

In his first 12 games in the NBA, highly touted Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball is viewed as a tall, pass-first point guard who struggles to put the ball in the hoop.

The same could be said for first ballot Hall of Famer and now Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd, when he first entered the league in 1994.

Although the pair posted eerily similar statistics in their first 12 games as a pro, Kidd downplayed any comparison between him and the young upstart from UCLA.

“It’s still early in his career, and it’s a stretch,” the floor general turned bench boss said in an appearance on ESPN’s “First Take.”

“He has to understand what it means to play hard and what it means to win, and how to win at the highest level. It takes time, and hopefully in three years maybe there is a better comparison, but right now it is a stretch and he has a ways to go.”

Much like Ball, Kidd was also drafted second overall in 1994 and was an inconsistent scorer in his early years.

If Ball truly shares the same mold as Kidd, he’ll certainly have his work cut out for him, as his predecessor went on to make 10 All-Star appearances, nine All-Defensive teams, and six All-NBA rosters, culminated by a championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.  Khristian Ibarrola /ra

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