Lonzo Ball Finally Lands In Lakers’ Court, But Jury Still Out On Verdict

No Comments June 27, 2017 Lakers By Vincent Morales

Finally, the Ball has landed directly in the Lakers’ court.

As expected, despite a few feints and misdirections, the Los Angeles Lakers officially made Lonzo Ball of UCLA the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.

“Transcendent Talent”

“I think the vision and abilities that Lonzo has puts him in a class of being a transcendent talent,” Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said of Ball. “We’re so excited about the opportunity to have someone like that on our team and be a part of our future.”

That doesn’t sound like someone unsure they would select Ball at all.

If Lakers’ president Magic Johnson or Pelinka ever had genuine misgivings about taking Ball at No. 2, they overcame those definitively and solidified the pick prior to the draft by trading away 2015 overall No. 2, D’Angelo Russell (14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists).

Lakers Dump the Borscht Bust

Right before draft day the Lakers acquired 29-year-old, seven-foot center, Brook Lopez (20.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 blocks) plus this year’s No. 27 overall pick from the Brooklyn Nets for Russell and Timofey Mozgov, the Borscht Bust.

Giving up on a No. 2 overall after just two seasons, shows that the Lakers were serious about jettisoning the atrocious contracts compiled by the Mitch Kupchak/Jimmy Buss two-headed, single-brained monster.

There should be an FBI investigation into Russian collusion with that Mozgov 4-year, $64 million contract. Now, that’s Mikhail Prokohrov and Brooklyn’s problem. Dasvidaniya to the 3 years/$48 million remaining on that prison term.

Lakers’ Current Payroll $20 Million Under Cap

The Lakers’ current payroll for the 2017-18 season is just under $80 million ($99 million cap, $119 million tax threshold).

With Mozgov off the books and Lopez entering the final year of his contract at $22.6 million, the Lakers will likely have cap room to sign two max contracts for the 2018-19 season (read: LeBron James, Paul George); even more if they can dump Luol Deng’s remaining three years and $54 million in salary.*

*(Seriously! Were Buss and Kupchak drunk when they forked Laker fans and forked over 8 years and $136 million to these two misfit underachievers?)

LeBron and PG13 in 2018

All the speculation about King James and PG13 is 12 months away. The Lakers need to worry about the here and now and this forthcoming season. Opinions are split on whether the Lakers’ draft did or did not set them up for success in ’17-’18.

The selection of Ball with the No. 2 overall was clearly a home run, especially with the trade of D’Angelo. Also, after picking up the No. 27 pick with Lopez, the Lakers’ decision to trade the No. 28 pick for No. 30 and No. 42 was a tremendous value. Still, the Lakers’ picks, other than Ball, were mostly curious if not outright dubious.

Here’s a look at the Lakers’ 2017 draft selections:

Round 1 (Overall No.2)

Lonzo Ball (UCLA)

The 6’6” point guard is a dynamic offensive player just dripping with potential. The Lakers are hoping he is more Jason Kidd than Ricky Rubio.

Ball’s elite passing will elevate the Lakers’ transition game. But Laker fans need to be patient. This offense (Ball-Jordan Clarkson-Brandon Ingram-Julius Randle-Lopez) won’t soar from day one, but eventually it should be something to behold for fans and prospective 2018 free agents.

Chalk up at least 6 assists per game for Ball next season.

PPG: 14.6, REB: 6.0, AST: 7.6, STL: 1.8, FG%: 55.1, 2P%: 73.2, 3P%: 41.2, FT%: 67.3

Round 1 (Overall No. 27)

Kyle Kuzma (Utah)

This is a curious pick. Kuzma is a 6’9” stretch-4 but he needs to become a more consistent perimeter shooter to truly fit this role.

Kuzma is athletic and a bit long, passes well and ably runs the floor in transition. He’s better in a team defense than as a one-on-one defender.

In a vacuum, this pick seems like a pretty good one. However, most would have looked at the power forward 4-position and judged it satisfactorily set for the Lakers with Randle, Larry Nance, Jr., Deng and Tarik Black.

This either bodes poorly for Kuzma in the mid-term or for Randle or Deng in the short-term.

PPG: 16.4, REB: 9.3, AST: 2.4, STL: 0.6, FG%: 50.4, 2P%: 56.0, 3P%: 32.1, FT%: 66.9

Round 1 (Overall No. 30)

Josh Hart (Villanova)

This is the dubious pick.

When the 6’5” guard declared for the 2016 NBA draft after winning a National Championship his junior year, he interviewed with teams, worked out and tested but did not hire an agent.

The knock then was that he was not athletic enough to be drafted so he returned to school for his senior year. He improved across the board statistically at Nova and won a bunch of personal awards. But the rap on Hart remains: he’s not explosive enough to be a real offensive threat at the NBA level.

He is a decent-sized guard and likely will defend serviceably enough against either point or shooting guards in the league.

But, and this is a big but, will he be able to hit threes and score the way he did in college? Not likely.

PPG: 18.7, REB: 6.4, AST: 2.9, STL: 1.5, FG%: 51.0, 2P%: 57.9, 3P%: 40.4, FT%: 74.7

Round 2 (Overall No. 42)

Thomas Bryant (Indiana)

The 6’10” Hoosier sophomore was generally considered first-round talent by scouts and experts this spring. So, it looks like the Lakers got a bargain nabbing him in the second round.

Bryant is super long. At 6’10” with a 7’6” wingspan and a measured 9’5” standing reach, he is a wonderful rim protector, shot blocker and offensive rebounder.

He can also run the court, finish in transition and knock down some shots from distance. However, he needs to improve on the defensive glass.

Bryant could be the best value of the draft for the Lakers and will definitely help improve LA’s defensive deficiencies next season and perhaps stretch the floor on offense.

PPG: 12.6, REB: 6.6, AST: 1.5, BLK: 1.5, FG%: 51.9, 2P%: 55.6, 3P%: 38.3, FT%: 73.0

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Vincent Morales

Vincent Morales graduated from the University of Southern California, School of Journalism and was the associate sports director at the student-run radio station where he was a play-by-play announcer and color commentator for hundreds of USC sporting events including two Rose Bowls and the inaugural conference basketball tournament.

Recently, Morales was the marketing manager and publicist for a world-renowned sports artist and was instrumental in securing and maintaining deals for the artist to work with Stephen Curry, Aaron Rodgers, Derek Jeter, Floyd Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions, the Topps Company, Steiner Sports, and Fanatics Authentic, among many others.

Morales is a lifelong resident of southern California.