Lonzo Ball struggled in his first NBA game as he was hounded by Patrick Beverley, finishing with three points, nine rebounds and four assists.

“I’ll be ready,” Ball told The Vertical. “I have to show it in my game, because when we win, people won’t talk. But if we lose, people will think it affects me. It’s wins and losses for me. We know it’s a process.”

Beverley was determined to give Ball a hostile welcome to the NBA that it won't be an easy transition.

“I told him after the game, man, due to the riff raff … he’s going to get a lot of people coming at him,” Beverley said. “He has to be ready for that.”

“I don’t want to get into one-on-one battles,” Ball told The Vertical. “It’s five on five, not me versus him.

“He’s going to do what he can, but I have to do what I can to get us wins.”