Lonzo Ball
Now, these lists and rankings are meant to be taken with a grain of salt. They are meant to cause debate and rile up a reaction from fans. That is exactly what they accomplished with Lonzo Ball. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft makes his debut on the list at No. 63.
A lot of the problem with Ball’s ranking was who was right behind him. Despite not appearing in a regular season game yet, Ball is ranked one spot ahead of perennial All-Star, Carmelo Anthony. That drew quite a reaction from fans and players alike. It is quite a lofty ranking, but one Ball has a chance not only to live up to but blow by.
Ball is extremely talented. He is a special player with the Ball in his hands. The first glimpse we saw of him in the NBA was at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he took home MVP honors. The expectations are sky high, as Ball has already been deemed the face of the Lakers by Magic Johnson.
Here is what ESPN’s Stats & Info had to say about Ball.
"Ball is the highest-ranked rookie and it comes on the heels of an 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."
The talent is there, now he just has to put it together on the court. The first time he slips up, you will be sure to hear about it. Every rookie has their struggles, but Ball will be a lot of fun to watch. If the Summer League is any indication, he will draw a big crowd no matter where he plays.