The Lakers may get a lottery pick and get a ping-pong ball to drop that has a one, two or three on it, or maybe not. But let’s not draft Lonzo Ball.
There is a 46.9 percent chance for the Lakers get the ball to drop for a top-three pick and a 15.6 percent chance they grab the No. 1 overall pick. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have to plan for both a scenario in which the Lakers have a top-3 pick scenario and a in which they do not.
What should the Lakers’ NBA Draft strategy be if they do get that lottery pick? The indications by media are that the Lakers want Lonzo Ball, and Lonzo and his dad, LaVar Ball, have made it no secret they want the Lakers as well.
It also would be a good guess that the Lakers are looking for a true point guard, so if they got a top pick, Markelle Fultz should be a great alternative.
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Let’s talk about it.
Love him or not, Lonzo Ball is in the news constantly. Now it’s his new basketball kicks named The ZO2 Prime, that will set you back $495. On top of the steep price, if the shoes don’t fit? Too bad, there are no returns or exchanges, but you will get them before Christmas.
LaVar couldn’t get a big name shoe company to invest in the Big Baller Brand, so instead of resorting to Sketchers, he is going in on his own and manufacturing them independently. Is this really the drama the Lakers need right now? Uh, no.
Some think all this attention is not warranted and that the better pick would be the former Washington Husky, Fultz, making him the top dog (see what we did there?). Take CBS Sports’ Colin Ward-Henninger. Ward-Henniger thinks Ball will be a good NBA player, but he does not think he is good enough to be a top-five draft pick.
"I know. I’m in the minority here. Our NBA Draft expert Howard Megdal has Ball as the No. 2 prospect behind Markelle Fultz. A lot of people agree with him. But I just don’t see it."
Ward-Henniger points out that Rawle Alkins, an Arizona Wildcat testing the waters in the NBA Draft, couldn’t be guarded by Ball. He also points out that another Wildcat in the draft, Kobi Simmons, easily blocked Ball’s layup in their huge upset in Pauley Pavilion last season.
The primary stat Ward-Henniger discusses the fact that Lonzo can’t or doesn’t shoot 2-pointers (only nine attempts in five postseason games); he is all about 3-pointers and layups. He highlighted that Ball avoids contact. Ball is not a fan of driving to get fouled as he rarely got to the line in college.
Ball is off the charts, according to Ward-Henniger, when it comes to his excellent court vision and mad passing skills.
Other experts are completely smitten with Ball, and that would include the Lakers, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford.
"The Lakers appear to be enamored with Ball, a local product who could add star power to a team desperately in search of it. But they’ll likely have to land in the top two to get him."
Fultz, on the other hand, has been praised by what seems like everyone. Fultz plays above the rim with ease. Plus there is no drama with Fultz.
So if the Lakers get the ball to drop, they should pick Markelle Fultz, hands down. Now Fultz didn’t get battle tested in the NCAA Tournament like Lonzo Ball, but his upside is huge. There was no stopping this player.
It reminds me of the situation Ben Simmons was in at LSU; he was the lone star on the team.
Fultz has a 6-foot-10 wingspan and there appear to be few, if any, holes in his game. He can take on three defenders and still finish at the basket. And his dunking ability is to be celebrated at STAPLES Center. He can shoot threes too! What’s not to like?
Chad Ford believe’s the Lakers best top-three pick would be Josh Jackson. If Fultz is off the market in the lottery, given they get a top three pick, the Lakers should draft D’Aaron Fox. Fox shut Ball down in the NCAA tournament. Even Dick Vitale agrees with me.
Lonzo Ball's shoes r $495/if he plays in the @NBA like he did vs BBN De'Aaron Fox they'll go for $4.95 @darrenrovell https://t.co/hz6em0rqu1
— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) May 5, 2017
Now, what if the Lakers get a slot after No. 3? They skip all the way to the 28th pick overall. If that happens, we have some advice for the Lakers organization. Want a gritty, loyal, hard-working, deeply committed, coachable, winning and humble point guard?
Look no further. It’s is clear as pie to this Lakers fan that Luke Walton will want to draft Rawle Alkins. One reason is that Rawle was key in Arizona’s 32 wins last season, a rock solid leader Sean Miller could always count on.
Arizona is the alma mater of Laker coaches Luke Walton, Jesse Mermuys, and Jud Buechler. Sean Miller wants his Wildcat back, but if Alkins has a chance for the first round, then he’s bye-bye.
Alkins can dunk, he can shoot 2-pointers, 3-pointers and layups, pass well, and he is a game changer. Alkins does not have an agent yet, but he was invited to the NBA combine, so time will tell, as he projected to go No. 35 in the draft, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jeremy Woo.
Alkins is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds. He outweighs both Ball and Fultz by about 40 pounds and is probably just as quick up and down the court in transition. His minutes were limited a bit at the end of the season because of Allonzo Trier’s return.
Even Trier performed better than Ball in the tournament, and he is staying in school for one more year.
| Date | Opponent | Type | MP | FG | FG% | 2P | 2P% | 3P | 3P% | FT | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-09 | USC | CTOURN | W | 33 | 4 | .400 | 2 | .667 | 2 | .286 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 2017-03-10 | Arizona | CTOURN | L | 35 | 2 | .286 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | .167 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 2017-03-17 | Kent State | NCAA | W | 34 | 6 | .857 | 4 | 1.000 | 2 | .667 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 2017-03-19 | Cincinnati | NCAA | W | 38 | 7 | .700 | 3 | 1.000 | 4 | .571 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
| 2017-03-24 | Kentucky | NCAA | L | 38 | 4 | .400 | 3 | .750 | 1 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 36 Games | 1263 | 189 | .551 | 109 | .732 | 80 | .412 | 66 | 33 | 183 | 216 | 274 | 66 | 28 | 524 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/5/2017.
| Date | School | Opponent | Type | MP | FG | FG% | 2P | 2P% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-03-09 | Arizona | Colorado | CTOURN | 34 | 6 | .500 | 5 | .625 | 1 | .250 | 6 | .857 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 2017-03-10 | Arizona | UCLA | CTOURN | 35 | 5 | .556 | 2 | .400 | 3 | .750 | 7 | .700 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 20 |
| 2017-03-11 | Arizona | Oregon | CTOURN | 37 | 5 | .417 | 2 | .333 | 3 | .500 | 10 | .909 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 23 |
| 2017-03-16 | Arizona | North Dakota | NCAA | 31 | 4 | .364 | 3 | .429 | 1 | .250 | 9 | .900 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 18 |
| 2017-03-18 | Arizona | Saint Mary’s (CA) | NCAA | 31 | 4 | .400 | 3 | .429 | 1 | .333 | 5 | .833 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 2017-03-23 | Arizona | Xavier | NCAA | 37 | 8 | .421 | 5 | .556 | 3 | .300 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | |
| 18 Games | 575 | 91 | .460 | 57 | .514 | 34 | .391 | 94 | .810 | 96 | 48 | 7 | 2 | 310 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/5/2017.
Alkins has that quiet snake-type persona on the court. He coined the phrase “Savage Life” for the team, a moniker that both stuck and explains his mentality on the court. The Brooklyn native is a savage on the court.
He is a player who never gives up. Alkins hurt his finger in the tournament, and he asked the trainer to tape him up because his team needed him, and he came back with a vengeance.
If you are a coach and you want a coachable point guard you can rely on, with no headache parents, Alkins is the guy for you. Coaches are going to meet Rawle at the Combine, and they are going to want him. Here are some highlights of Rawle’s freshman season at Arizona:
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That’s one person’s point of view. We’re sure you have your own opinion, and we want to hear about it! Meanwhile put your hands together and pray that the Lakers get a top-three pick, although we don’t think it is going to change the team overnight.