The Los Angeles Lakers believe they made the correct decision in drafting Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick during the 2017 NBA Draft. The franchise believes they have a transcendent player who will lead them into their next era of basketball.
With training camp soon approaching, the Lakers and the rest of the NBA is preparing for the lengthy journey of an NBA season. The arrival of training camp and preseason soon after brings up the debate regarding certain teams and players going into the 2017-18 season.
One of those debates comes from ESPN’s annual #NBARank list, featuring their standings for the top 100 players in the NBA. The Lakers received some respect in the recent update to the list, landing three players in the 50-75 section. One of those players was Ball, who ranked No. 63:
Ball is the highest-ranked rookie and it comes on the heels of a MVP summer league performance in Las Vegas. While it’s dangerous to put too much stock in a handful of offseason games, it’s impossible to cast aside his infectious play as simply noise. Ball averaged more assists and rebounds in summer league than Stephen Curry, John Wall, Derrick Rose or Russell Westbrook did as rookies, while his 9.3 assists per game were a Las Vegas Summer League record.
Ball has been the recipient of a lot of praise in anticipation of the beginning of his NBA career, set to take over the Lakers franchise in today’s uptempo NBA.
The Lakers fully believe in Ball’s abilities on the court, as well as his demeanor off the court. Ball has displayed mature traits before playing a single game, which is a strong sign of what is to come. Ball will have the keys to the car this season, with an upgraded roster around him ready to contribute.