While there were plenty of rumors about the Lakers exploring other options and lots of due diligence done, the Lakers did what so many had predicted they would do when they kept their pick at the NBA’s draft lottery last month: they drafted Lonzo Ball.
Ball instantly becomes the Lakers starting point guard, replacing the departed D’Angelo Russell. As I wrote in my pre-draft evaluation, Ball might have a lot of noise surrounding him, his family, and his game, but his production and skill set warrant being picked here. I could not be happier about this pick.
Get your comments in below and we’ll have more analysis soon.
KevTheBold says
I’m excited about this pick. With all the noise going on about Jackson, Fox or trades, it feels like we made it through a firing range.
Welcome to the Lakers Lonzo !
May you reach your full Potential, and help usher us to the next set of Trophies !
Daniel Burke says
Just need a decent defensive PG/SG to pair with Ball. George Hill, Teague, Mils?
LT Mitchell says
Patty Mills at the right price would be a good fit. I believe Marcus Smart is a restricted free agent. If Smart could improve his outside shooting, he could be a better version of Patrick Beverly. I think he’s worth the gamble. Hill and Teague would be too expensive. The team needs the money for another max free agent.
Mid-Wilshire says
Lonzo Ball, I think, is an excellent choice for the Lakers. His stats, as a pass-first point guard, are impressive:
14.6 ppg
55.1% shooting overall
41.2% from 3-pt. range
6.0 reb per game
7.6 assists per game
1.8 steals per game
Most significantly, he helped lead UCLA from a 15-win season to 31 wins. True, he did not do this single-handedly. But he contributed in a big way. Also, he played 35.1 minutes per game.
He definitely seem to be a winner.
Lonzo, I wish you well in your career as a Laker.
bluehill says
Welcome, Lonzo. Hope you have a great career as a Laker!
Now, FO don’t do anything crazy trying to get PG.
Old Timer says
With Lonzo on board, Randle, Black, Brook, Ingram Brewer suddenly increase their PPG as long as they’re willing play catch and run with the rookie.
Darius, you said: “departed D’ Angelo Russell” hoho, he’s still alive and becomes a fantastic PG there in Brooklyn, another brand of NY fans.
KenOak says
I saw a tweet about about Luke Walton saying, “We can’t talk about the Russell trade as it isn’t official yet.” @darius What exactly is the hold up with that deal? Seems odd.
Oh and welcome to LAL Lonzo Ball!
Mid-Wilshire says
KenOak,
I’m not absolutely certain. But I think that trades are not final until physicals have been completed on all players. That would be my guess.
mattal says
I will say that I was not initially supportive of selecting Lonzo. But commentary by ‘five thirty eight’ and Kenny Smith have turned me. There are still concerns about his offense between the rim and the 3 pt shot but his mercurial passing aptitude and his ability to impact the game with such a low usage rate are big pluses.
RR — on your comment, in the last thread, about Boston trying to acquire PG: the success of selling like w on Russell is predicated on brining PG to the Lakers. If George ends up in Boston and loves it there enough to resign next summer then you’d have to call the DAR trade a bust.
Rick in Seattle says
Matt, Paul George is not the only free agent next summer. Having cap space also gives you peace of mind in knowing that they can pursue other trade opportunities, if needed.
Example: While I think the Lakers paid a bit too much for Lopez, the trade itself makes a lot of sense from several angles. Lopez may resign. He is a much better center than Mozgov or Hibbert, Lopez is also younger. Again, while I would have offered Clarkson or Randle, it was still a good trade for LA. The entire situation with George at this point is speculation. Lets wait and see what really happens. But, having the Mozgov contract gone, opens up a lot of free agent possibilities.
With Ball, LA does need to find a veteran backup PG.
Lakers17 says
I don’t think there is any intention to sign him. At his age, he’s not going to suddenly become a 20/10. He was on the worst team in the league and yet he only averaged 5 rebounds a game. He’s a below average defender as well. Nets tried for years to dump him on someone without any takers. And now that the Lakers have used up their picks, so no chance of getting PG now until he’s a free agent. Unless they sign two max free agents in 2018, they basically gave up a 21 year old 2nd pick who is playing about how they expected him to play at this stage if his career for a late first rounder. Unless a miracle happens, it’s a horrible trade.
Rick in Seattle says
Yes, at least initially, it’s probably the opinion of most observers that Lopez is a one-and-done. Agree that Russell was a high price to pay. But, without knowing what other offers BRK was considering at the time, perhaps that was the cost of removing the Mozgov contract–and for that we should direct our anger toward Kupchak & Buss!
We don’t have a lot of inside information on how well Russell was handling his move to SG . I would like to have seen him play along side Ball for the coming season just to get a sense of his value at that position.
The Lakers FO may have also had to consider was how long it will take before Zubac is a starting quality C. A number of folks feel he needs another year or two to learn under someone.
Not sure any of us (or the Lakers FO for that matter) can place a value on Lozez this early, when he has yet to play one game for the team? Let’s actually see how well his game adapts to Walton’s system. Having his Bird rights, gives the Lakers the option to let him go for cap space, sign & trade him to another team, or resign him (over the cap) if they choose to do so in 2018. All are better options than they had with Mozgov.
It may boil down to the value he brings to the team during the coming season. Although I wish they could have traded Clarkson or Randle instead, in the end, the positives (of removing the Mozgov contract) outweigh the negatives on this trade. .
AusPhil says
Now who do we get with these back-to-back first rounders? Anigbogu?
dxmanners says
Josh Hart is the anti D’Angelo Russell. Great pick, team iq and character just took a huge jump.
RR says
I support the Josh Hart pick.
Mid-Wilshire says
rr,
Me, too. Josh Hart is a good pick (3rd highest PER among NCAA guards and 5th highest defensive win shares nationally). An excellent selection.
Kuzma can play, too.
So far…so good.
Lakers17 says
Hart is a safe pick, but teams like the Lakers should be going after potential, not safe picks.
West Coast Ram says
Safe picks win you games, player potential gets coaches and GMs fired. For every superstar drafted in the top 5 there is at least one All Star drafted after. Way too many guys drafted in the lottery that are “just a guy” to rate them over guys that have proven themselves on the court.
Lakers17 says
True, but if your aim is to draft role players like the Warriors, that strategy works. Maybe there weren’t any other players with more potential. But the late round picks were very boring picks. If you have three late round draft picks, I would like to have seen at least one high risk high reward type player. Because let’s face it. Although Lakers got lucky with Nance, Clarkson, and Zubac, most late first round and second round picks are out of the league in a couple of years. I’d rather take a chance at getting a potential star, and I know the likelihood is very small this far down in the draft, than getting more role players. But maybe the Lakers are so depleted that they need more role players.
Dom says
Overall, great draft. I like the character and IQ that the FO is seemingly trying to collect. Every player isnt going to be a starter or all pro. You need starters yes, and stars but you need solid role players and chemistry has to be developed. When you look at the Warriors and the Spurs arguably the two franchises everyone is trying to model, you see consistency in management, which translates into culture. Character is also an integral part culture and Magic, Rob and Luke seem to be working in that direction. DLO may be a better individual player than a Josh Hart but Hart will be a more productive team mate. I for one love what the Lakers did draft night. Yes there were some reaches but clearing cap space, getting rid of locker room and team cancers, Nick and DLO plus bringing in young talent bodes well for the long haul. I believe if there was a legitimate offer from another team PG13 would have been traded. Look at how little the Twolves gave up for Jimmy Butler, Two injured players and a draft pick for an all NBA player. DDont believe for a second that PG13 is going to stay in the cold east. The only teams i could see him going to outside of the Lakers would be the Suns or the Clippers, The Suns arent quite there yet and the Clippers dont have any assets. I still say take the year to develop the younguns and trade for PG at the break or just wait the season out. Over all as i said great night
Vasheed says
This is a Ball buster for me. The passing is there it’s just everything else looks horrible. I’m very worried that once teams figure out what he cannot do they will take away the things that look good from him.
TempleOfJamesWorthy says
I am a hopeless sucker for great passing (having grown up during the Magic Johnson era), so I was in favor of picking Lonzo Ball from the start.
But one of ESPN’s draft-heads has a statistics-only model which evidence suggests is a better predictor of NBA success than most other rating systems. Under the stats-only model, Lonzo Ball was the ***best*** college prospect in the draft.
While Ball may not be the next Jason Kidd, chances are he will be at least a solid NBA starter. I’m glad the Lakers ultimately didn’t overthink the pick.