Adrian Fedkiw
When the ping pong balls went the Los Angeles Lakers’ way and they acquired the No. 2 overall pick during the NBA Draft Lottery last month, Lonzo Ball was the consensus among everyone to head to the City of Angels.
But now, maybe not so much.
According to Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post, the Lakers are “souring” on Ball because of concerns about not only his outspoken father, LaVar, but a lack of confidence that Ball has superstar potential.
Per source, the #Lakers would pass on Lonzo Ball if #nbadraft was today. Team isn't convinced he's a star and remains concerned about LaVar.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 3, 2017
Per source, re Lonzo Ball: "It's not even close right now. Ball won't be a Laker unless they really start 2 buy into him as a star." #lakers
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 3, 2017
I think we are naive if we believe LaVar Ball factor doesn't have an impact on a team drafting Lonzo, even though he's a good kid. #lakers
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 3, 2017
Very interesting stuff, but how much stock should we put into it? With a few weeks to go until the NBA Draft, we are in peak smokescreen season. I’m still fairly convinced the Lakers take Ball at No. 2, and if they don’t, the Sixers should draft him and work out a trade with a team picking behind them. They might be able to acquire quite a haul, especially if a team sees superstar potential.
Ball will work out with the Lakers on Friday and according to Schultz, he will have to be great.
Per @ramonashelburne, Lonzo Ball will work out with the #lakers on June 7. Needless to say, both workout and interview process must be gr8.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) June 3, 2017
You can follow Adrian Fedkiw on Twitter (@AdrianFedkiw) and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to The Bitter Birds on YouTube here. Follow Philly Influencer on Twitter (@PHL_Influencer), Facebook and Instagram.