Although Fultz is looking to be the first overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, the next debate may be between who goes second. UCLA’s Lonzo Ball and Kansas’ Josh Jackson are the favorites to be the next two picks taken. Growing up in California and attending Chino Hills High School as well as UCLA, it only makes sense for Ball to want the Lakers to draft him. In just one season with Ball, UCLA went from a 15-17 record in ’15-’16 to a 31-5 record in ’16-’17 and Ball has received credit publicly for restoring the Bruins’ winning culture.
Ball went on to speak about potentially being a Laker.
“The Lakers are in L.A., and they’re close to home,” Ball told The Vertical. “This is where all my family is. Hopefully, they have a nice pick and they have a chance to get me. I want this to be realistic. Just being very family-oriented, to play in front of them would mean a lot to me. The Lakers are a young team and they have a lot of young talent.”
Unfortunately for the Lakers, there’s a good chance they could lose their top-three projected pick to the Philadelphia 76ers in the draft lottery. Knowing this, and just stating that the Lakers are his wish, he went on to address his thoughts on another team selecting him.
“I’ll play for anyone, all 30 teams, I want the challenge of helping turn around any team in the league. Just making it to the NBA, that’s my goal.”
Ball is willing to accept whatever fate has in store for him, as he had his entire life. He believes he can change the way the Lakers are perceived and reintroduce some winning culture to the organization. He has a 6-foot-6 frame, can handle the rock, shoot from deep, and keep his teammates involved throughout the course of the game. When he was younger, his father had him watch film on the legendary Magic Johnson, who now plays an important role in the Lakers’ organization. His father, Lavar Ball, told him that Magic’s game represented the purity of basketball.
“I watched tape on Magic when I was young, and it’s why you can see it in my game. He liked to pass, I like to pass. He was a big point guard, I’m a big point guard. And I feel the way the game is played means a lot to him and me.”
All that’s left for Ball is the waiting game. The 2017 NBA Draft is on June 22nd, but he is reportedly both calm and ready for the event. He shared some final words for NBA teams looking to select him.
“I hate to lose. I hate it.”
