It seems easy to conclude the Los Angeles Lakers will draft UCLA’s Lonzo Ball this year and call it a day.
One problem—this line of thinking might have departed the organization with certain people.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, while Ball is still a target at No. 2, past general manager Mitch Kupchak was one of the biggest supporters of the idea:
“I also think it reflects a genuine split within the organization about whom the best long-term candidate is. Ball was a clear favorite of the prior administration run by Mitch Kupchak and still has his fans within the organization. But the Lakers also took note on how Fox outplayed Ball in their head-to-head matchup in March. And Jackson has always been another favorite in the organization.”
The Lakers can’t go wrong by picking Ball—he’s 6’5″ and has some of the best passing skills we’ve seen enter the NBA in a long time. The fact he’s a California kid only strengthens the idea he’ll end up with the Lakers.
But as this note shows, things aren’t so cut and dry. There are plenty of prospects such as De’Aaron Fox and Josh Jackson, among others, that the Lakers might consider with the second pick if they feel like the current depth chart at point guard looks great.
Either way, the draft drama surrounding Ball just got a whole lot more interesting.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
