2017 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Pre-Draft
By Owen Nelson
player. 20. . PG. UCLA. Lonzo Ball. 2
Lonzo Ball fits the purple and gold perfectly. This is a match made in heaven, you can’t deny that. Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding reported that Lonzo Ball “didn’t blow the Lakers away or seal any deal” during his only workout with the team. Obviously Ball couldn’t showcase his passing and playmaking skills as it was a one-vs-no one. I think this is a marketing technique to try and get teams to trade up.
Due to the Lakers’ blockbuster trade that saw them trading D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in return for veteran center, Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in this draft, it basically confirms that the Lakers will be choosing Ball to be their new franchise point guard. The 6-6 guard will have the chance to take full reigns of the most prestigious franchise in all of sports.
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Another reason why the Lakers will, or needs, to draft Lonzo Ball is due to their deal with Time Warner. This deal is where the Lakers must hit a certain number of ratings and they will receive $100 million off of Time Warner. The Lakers haven’t been able to hit the target number for the past three season, making it imperative for them to draft Lonzo Ball.
One red flag for Ball is his desire to be great. An example of this is that the UCLA guard reportedly showed up out of shape for his workout with the Lakers. He only had one workout this draft season and he turned up out of shape, seriously? Come on Lonzo, you had one job.
There was reports that the Lakers were “in love” with Markelle Fultz and was trying to trade up with the Celtics. Their reported offer was the number two pick and Julius Randle. At the end of the day, the Lakers just couldn’t compete with the 76ers in regards to future assets. Ball isn’t a bad consolation prize though.