After weeks of speculation and multiple workouts with all of the top prospects in the NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers have finally made it official.
In the end, UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball saw his dream come true as the Lakers made him the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Ball has long been believed to be the best fit for the Lakers, with his passing, shooting, and high basketball IQ being an excellent fit for head coach Luke Walton’s offensive system. The road to this point wasn’t a straight one however.
Lonzo’s father LaVar had long been saying that he would speak his son joining the Lakers into existence. When they landed the second overall pick it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that the Ball family dream would come true.
However rumors have been running rampant over the past few weeks. Ball reportedly wasn’t in the best shape for his initial workout with the Lakers. Subsequent up-close looks at the likes of Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, and De’Aaron Fox saw all of them become a potential favorite of the front office at different points as well.
In the end, things wound up being exactly as everyone predicted at the outset and the Lakers hopefully have their point guard of the future. The recent trade of D’Angelo Russell to the Brooklyn Nets made the belief that Ball was Laker-bound even stronger.
Ball had an outstanding freshman season at UCLA, helping turn the Bruins around from an under .500 team to one of the National Championship favorites, ultimately making the Sweet 16. In his lone year at UCLA Ball averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 55.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from three-point range.
The Lakers aren’t done yet however, as they still own the 27th and 28th overall picks and with so many trade rumors floating around, it is anyone’s guess as to how the rest of the night will go.