Lonzo Ball staying in LA.
The NBA Draft Lottery occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. It was a big night for the Lakers organization, but also for Lonzo Ball and the Ball Family. The Los Angeles Lakers obtain the #2 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft behind the Celtics at #1. Many mock drafts have the Celtics taking Josh Jackson or Markelle Fultz as the #1 pick, while almost all of them have Lonzo Ball going #2 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lonzo Ball is the 2nd best point guard in the NBA Draft behind Washington's Markelle Fultz. Even his shooting is funky, he shot 41% from 3-point range while shooting 55% from the field. He led UCLA to the elite eight in the NCAA tournament before losing to De'Aaron Fox and the Kentucky Wildcats. He is arguably the best college basketball player in 2017. With his arrival to UCLA, Ball really advertised the school. Ball feels that he is a better player than potential #1 draft pick Markelle Fultz. "Markelle's a great player, but I feel I'm better than him, I think I can lead a team better than him. Obviously, he's a great scorer — he's a great player, so I'm not taking that away from him."
Everything is falling to place with Lonzo's future success, but there is only one problem: his father. Lavar Ball who is the father of Lonzo was all around the media since January. He claims things that are believed to be highly impossible. He claims that he can beat Michael Jordan in his prime and that Lonzo Ball is better than Stephen Curry. These two claims are completely unbelievable. LaVar Ball is also trying to sell Lonzo's signature shoe: ZO2, which it cost $495. It is extremely a lot of money for a kid who is just starting to play in the NBA, but people are actually buying his shoes. To Lonzo, his father is a problem because his mouth is interfering with his draft stock.
Lonzo Ball with the Lakers is a good fit because of his style of play, but also he is an LA native. Because his father's mouth, selecting Lonzo Ball will be a big risk, especially for teams like the Lakers who are trying to rebuild for future success. This pick for the Lakers will be a reflection of them, so they need to get this pick right or they will suffer. NBA Players are planning to target Lonzo Ball because of his father's actions. It was his dream to play in NBA and succeed, but Lonzo probably wouldn't succeed if his father is going to keep talking. LaVar can't say what he want to say to the media. Lonzo is entering the NBA with pressure and that's not what young Now, if Lonzo Ball plays up to his potential and live up to the expectations of what his father is distributing, then LaVar Ball has the right to talk and say what he wants to say. For now, he just needs to keep his mouth shut.
