Los Angeles Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball is one of the most polarizing players in today's NBA. Some feel he's a transcendent point guard who will revolutionize the game of basketball, while others feel he's an overhyped, average NBA talent who is only famous because of his loudmouth dad.

The stats from the first 10 games of Lonzo's career certainly back up the second viewpoint, as he's struggled to put the ball in the basket in any way, shape or form, while his best game (29 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists) was equally offset by his worst (0 points, three rebounds, four assists).

But there is hope for Laker fans.

The obvious comp for Lonzo is certain first-ballot Hall of Famer Jason Kidd -- also a tall, pass-first point guard with off-the-charts playmaking ability who loved to push the pace but occasionally struggled shooting the ball. And if we look at the first 10 games of each player's career ... it's remarkable how similar they actually are.

Kidd vs. Ball (through 10 career games)


MINPTSREBASTTOVSTLFG%3P%W-L

Jason Kidd

35.9

9.7

6.4

6.6

2.4

2.0

.362

.160

6-4

Lonzo Ball

33.0

8.8

6.4

6.9

2.4

1.1

.299

.234

5-5

OK, before you destroy my Twitter mentions: I'm not saying that Lonzo Ball will automatically turn into Jason Kidd. I'm simply pointing out that one of Ball's most popular player comps had a nearly identical start to his career.

There are also similarities to the teams that Kidd and Ball were thrust into. It's obvious that point guards in their mold benefit from being surrounded by good, experienced players. Kidd joined a Mavericks team that won 13 games the season before he got there, and his two best players, Jamal Mashburn and Jim Jackson, were in their second and third years in the league, respectively.

Lonzo joined a similar situation in Los Angeles, a 26-win team with a young core of players yet to hit their primes. As Kidd's teammates improved, so did he, and he was named an All-Star in his second year in the league. When he joined the right system with the Nets, he became the best point guard in the NBA.

The stats also provide Lonzo fans with some hope that his shooting will eventually come around. Kidd was written off as a shooting threat early in his career, but became a capable mid-30 percent 3-point shooter during his prime. In his later years with the Dallas Mavericks, Kidd even topped 40 percent twice and is now eighth all-time in career 3-point field goals made.

Lonzo is also a year younger than Kidd was during his rookie year, so there is surely more physical development that could add weight and strength to Ball's 6-7, 190-pound frame.

But there's also a chance that Lonzo's shooting and ability to finish around the rim never improve. Maybe this is the player that he'll always be. There's really no way to predict it.

So, while 10 games are a tiny sample size, Lakers fans can take solace in the fact that -- at least for now -- Lonzo's game is following the career trajectory of one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.