NBA News: Kevin Durant admits Lonzo Ball, Ben Simmons have caught his attention

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball hasn't been your ordinary NBA rookie. Unlike most other greenhorns in the league, he doesn't have to put up solid stat lines to grab everyone's attention. Thanks in large part to his father's big personality, being a Ball is all it takes for Lonzo to be a daily conversation topic.

That being said, he's still going to be judged more for his on-court exploits than his lineage. And while his shooting slump has been well documented, it doesn't affect how some people view Ball as a talented player who will only get better with time. Count Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant as among those who believe in the UCLA product. 

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball hasn't been your ordinary NBA rookie. Unlike most other greenhorns in the league, he doesn't have to put up solid stat lines to grab everyone's attention. Thanks in large part to his father's big personality, being a Ball is all it takes for Lonzo to be a daily conversation topic.

That being said, he's still going to be judged more for his on-court exploits than his lineage. And while his shooting slump has been well documented, it doesn't affect how some people view Ball as a talented player who will only get better with time. Count Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant as among those who believe in the UCLA product.

In a post on his own YouTube channel, the former league MVP mentioned Ball as among the rookies he thinks are playing well this season.

"I like OG Anunoby from Toronto. He plays hard, he can shoot it, rebounds well. I like Lonzo Ball, I like how he's playing the point guard position. Jayson Tatum is playing well in Boston. He's playing like a seasoned vet. You've got De'Aaron Fox hitting game-winners. Ben Simmons, I don't even know if you want to call him a rookie since he's around the league for a year already, but this is his first NBA action and he's playing phenomenal basketball. There's so many good rookies out there."

Ball is averaging 9.0 points per game on a horrid 31.5 percent shooting from the field. But he's finding other ways to help the Lakers, as evidenced by his dishing out 7.1 assists and 7.4 rebounds per contest. It's not unusual for rookies to struggle with their shot, so judging Ball this early in his NBA career is, to some extent, unfair.

Durant will get a first-hand look at Ball for the first time this coming Wednesday when the Warriors make a trip to the Staples Center.