Los Angeles Lakers

Gilbert Arenas thinks Lonzo Ball is off to a pretty decent start, but tells TMZ Sports they can't really shine in L.A. just yet BECAUSE THE REST OF HIS TEAM IS SUPER TRASH.

Here's Gil's point ... Lonzo is a passer, and in order for him to tear it up for the Purple & Gold, his teammates have to make the shots he sets them up for, something Arenas says these guys can't do.

"You try to put so much hype around a point guard but your team is bad. He can't make these players good, if they're Hondas they're Hondas. This is not fast in furious where you can put some Nitrous on Ingram and make him a better Honda."

Ouch. Arenas went on to explain that no point guards make all the greats like Shaq and Jordan who they were, and if the Lakers think Lonzo's gonna do that, they're fooling themselves.

Rapper ScHoolboy Q's got an ice-cold reality check for Lonzo Ball -- saying the Lakers superstar needs to get the hell out the studio and "STICK TO BASKETBALL."

With Lonzo droppin' more tracks in recent weeks, we had to ask Q if he wanted to get in on the aspiring emcee's career like DJ Mustard and DJ Quik.

His answer -- "HELL NAH! 'Cause I rather see that n***a score some points and get some damn assists."

But Q ain't hatin' ... telling TMZ Sports he just wants Lonzo to be great on the court.

FYI, dude's a huge Lakers fan, but beefs hard with the Dodgers -- straight-up TRASHING the National League champs for chokin' away the World Series.

Gilbert Arenas is tired of all the haters saying Jahlil Okafor sucks 'cause the 76ers are trying to cut bait ... telling TMZ Sports the big man's just stuck behind a superstar in Philly.

"He’s not a bust – there’s just a better player in front of him," Gil said, giving props to Joel Embiid. "He’s not a (Hasheem) Thabeet, he’s not a (Michael) Olowokandi – he’s better than those guys."

Basically, give Jah a change of scenery, and the former #3 overall pick can ball out.

Arenas also brought up the Lakers -- saying they have the reverse situation with former #2 pick Brandon Ingram (the starter) and rookie Kyle Kuzma (who's playing behind him).

Classic good news/bad news situation for Lonzo Ball ... good news is that one of the greatest producers in hip-hop history says he's totally down to work with Ball.

Bad news is that this guy ... DJ Quik ... says he'll only do so if Ball can really rap, saying he hasn't heard Lonzo's rhymes yet, and isn't sure about his skills.

You gotta remember, Quik has worked with Jay-Z, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, and every other rap legend around, so impressing him might not be easy.

Welcome to the Lonzo Ball 6-game rookie season breakdown with your host ... LaVar Ball!

So, LaVar ... the Lakers are 2-4, but how do you think Lonzo looks so far?

"How would I rate his first few weeks? Good!"

He took responsibility for that loss to the Jazz ...

"Hey, that ain't nothing new to me. He knows what he's supposed to do. He do it right."

But it's a team sport. It was a team effort, right?

"It can be a team effort, it's all on him. He already know. We built that way. My boy built that way."

So, what happens next for Lonzo? How does LaVar feel about Metta World Peace saying he can't tell if Lonzo will be a star until 3 years into his pro career?

Metta World Peace wants all basketball critics to CHILL with the Lonzo Ball takes ... 'cause the ex-Laker says it's way too early to tell if the Big Baller is the real deal.

We spoke with Metta -- who just joined the Lakers' G-League team as a player development coach -- about Zo's first week in the NBA ... and he thinks it'll take 3 YEARS to find out if he's legit.

FYI -- Ball's averaging 11.5 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists through 4 games.

John Wall wasn't too bummed out after losing his "No Mercy" game against Lonzo Ball's Lakers -- hitting up Warwick nightclub ... and telling TMZ Sports there's no bad blood.

The Washington Wizards star vowed to punish the rookie for all the trash talk his dad, LaVar Ball, had been spouting off leading up to Wednesday's matchup at Staples Center.

But Wall and the Wizards came up short -- losing to the Lakers in overtime -- and after the game, he took out his frustrations at the club!

Wall says he's not holding a grudge with the Balls -- or anyone for that matter -- and focused his energy on having a good time.

As for LaVar ... he celebrated the victory by taking a bow to the crowd. He's loving this.

Charles Barkley ain't shy about what he'd do to Lonzo Ball if they played in the same era ... saying he'd try to take the kid's head clean off as punishment for his father's antics.

"I would've been goin' at his head, no question. Would've been talkin' to him the whole time about his daddy," Barkley told TMZ Sports.

Chuck actually REALLY likes Lonzo ... but 100% agrees with Kenny Smith, who told us LaVar Ball has put a target on his son's back.

"His dad has put so much pressure on him, he makes people not like him. Now he's got everybody not liking his son and he's gonna have to deal with that."

Sir Charles also had a pretty funny take on Lonzo's 1 big game for the Lakers -- saying it didn't count because it came against the crappy Phoenix Suns.

Speaking of the Suns ... Barkley also trashed Eric Bledsoe for tweeting that he wanted off the squad.

"Someone's paying you $15 million a year -- you shouldn't say, EVER, 'I don't wanna be here.'"

"You don't go on the Internet. You don't do that ... that was just bad."

Marcin Gortat thinks it's hilarious LaVar Ball said his Wizards should be afraid of Lonzo Ball ... telling LaVar that his teammate, John Wall, is gonna "TORTURE" the rookie.

The Big Baller Dad issued a warning to the Wiz -- who are set to play Lonzo's Lakers on Wednesday -- after L.A. dropped to 1-2 on Sunday ...

"They better beware, 'cause Lonzo ain't losin' again. Not in the same week!"

The Polish Hammer wasn't havin' none of that -- letting LaVar know Wall's comin' for 'Zo just like Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley did in the Lake Show's season opener.

Lonzo Ball should thank Clippers PG Patrick Beverley for giving him the business Thursday night ... 'cause in the long-run, it's really a good thing -- so says Master P.

We got P -- a HUGE NBA fan -- droppin' knowledge on Lonzo's debut at LAX ... telling us the Lakers rookie will only get better when grinders like Beverley beat him up.

The good news for Lonzo ... he's gonna get it all season long -- there's a LONG LIST of NBA stars looking to take a piece of his ass.

Lonzo Ball needs to back up his dad's trash talk or it's gonna be a looong season ... so says Kenny Smith.

The "Inside the NBA" star says LaVar Ball's antics have "put a bullseye" right on Lonzo's back -- and Patrick Beverley ain't gonna be the only one who's gonna take a shot.

The good news for Lonzo ... Kenny says it's "just one game" and he'll shut up the haters if he bounces back strong.

John Wall saw this coming from a mile away ... telling us back in Feb. that NBA players like Patrick Beverley are gonna come for Lonzo Ball all season long to "leave a statement."

He was right.

Back when LaVar Ball was first firing up the Lonzo-hype machine, we spoke with Wall about how LaVar's braggadocious statements could affect the Lakers rookie on the court.

Wall told us LaVar's comments would add "fuel to the fire" for Lonzo's opponents, explaining:

"A lot of people try to leave a statement, you know let 'em know how the league is ... especially if they're gonna be going against him for the next couple years."

Beverley was DEFINITELY trying to send a message Thursday night -- beating up on Lonzo the entire game in a dominating Clippers victory.

And it sounds like it ain't gonna get easier for Ball as the season moves along ...

Kobe Bryant went all Globetrotter during a Nike photo shoot -- hitting a sweet bounce shot while one of the models captured the whole thing on video.

Mamba was with Neymar, Winnie Harlow and mega-designer Riccardo Tisci to shoot a NikeLab X RT collection promo ... when Winnie handed him the rock.

Kobe did Kobe things ... made the shot (nothin' but net) ... and the place went crazy!

He wasn't done though ... Kobe then took a shot from wayyyy downtown (behind the HALF COURT LINE) and hit again.

What did Snoop Dogg think of Lonzo Ball's NBA debut??

"I think his father put him in the lion's den with some pork-chop drawers on."

Snoop kept it all the way real on Kevin Garnett's "Area 21" post-game show -- after Lonzo managed just 3 points against the Clippers in the Lakers' home opener.

Check out the clip -- Snoop thinks Lonzo can be good, but he needs to change his attitude ASAP or he'll continue to get stomped by guys like Patrick Beverley.

KG ain't ready to throw in the towel on Lonzo either -- but says Ball is already at a crossroads and needs to make some serious life choices.

Marcelo Huertas had a rough run with the L.A. Lakers ... and now he's clapping back at his former team and the NBA for how they coddle their superstars.

"In the NBA, players are babies ... everyone is afraid of dealing with the athletes," Huertas told Brazilian hoops blog Bala na Cesta.

"That's not a thing in Europe. If you step over the line, you're punished athletically, financially, you're thrown out, suspended, whatever the hell. That doesn't exist in the NBA. I would see things and say, 'There's no way this is possible."'

Marcelo -- a Euroleague veteran -- says his 2 seasons with the Lakers were pretty tough on him emotionally ... claiming he put in a TON of hard work, even mentoring his younger point guard competition, just to ride the pine.

"Everything you can imagine, I would do it. If it had been in Europe I would've played."

FYI, Huertas averaged 15 minutes -- and 4 points a game -- in L.A. He's back playing in Spain now.

Dwyane Wade was REALLY close to heading west instead of reuniting with his bestie LeBron James this off-season ... so says ex-NBA star Caron Butler.

TMZ Sports spoke with Tuff Juice about his convo with Wade before he made his decision to join the Cavs ... and he says Wade was seriously considering Miami, OKC and the L.A. Lakers.

Butler breaks it down -- L.A. made sense considering Wade's movie star wife Gabrielle Union, OKC would've been a good basketball move, and Miami's his first NBA home.