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LaVar: Lakers are 'soft,' don't know how to coach Lonzo

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

LaVar Ball says he knows what type of coaching his son, 20-year-old rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, needs to be successful in the NBA, but thinks that isn't what the Los Angeles Lakers are currently providing him

"They're soft. They don't know how to coach my son. I know how to coach him," LaVar said Friday after the Lakers fell to 6-10 with a 122-113 loss to the Phoenix Suns, according to Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus. "I tell him to go get the victory. Stop messing around."

The head of Big Baller Brand added that he has no problem with Lakers head coach Luke Walton, but that he does with losing games.

Related: LaVar continues Trump feud with CNN interview

After falling to the Suns, Walton said it's important for his younger players to learn from their errors, and not to get too low each time they lose.

LaVar would apparently take a different approach with the impressionable roster, saying he would hold them more accountable for their mistakes.

"What I mean by babying (Lonzo), 'He'll figure it out,'" LaVar said. "It ain't about that. 'Be patient with him?' Ain't no patience if you're winning."

"They're letting it go too easy, saying they're a young team," he added. "Forget about that. Put the (onus) on them. Say, 'You guys need to win. You've got enough talent. Win some games.'"

LaVar added that losing at home "ain't OK," and said there aren't any moral victories in a loss. "That's why they're so cool with losing by five or six, (to) say, 'We was in the game.'"

Lonzo followed up his six-point performance against the Suns with his second triple-double of the 2017-18 campaign, ending Sunday's 18-point blowout of the Denver Nuggets with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists in just under 40 minutes of action.

He's averaging 8.9 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1.5 steals for the 7-10 Lakers, although his 31.3 field-goal percentage and his 22.8 3-point percentage has left a lot to be desired.

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