Pacific Notes: Ball, Kings, Brown
The Lakers aren’t afraid to draft Lonzo Ball just because of his father, Jeff Goodman of ESPN writes. Team president Magic Johnson recently told the media that LaVar Ball will have “no effect at all” on his son’s draft stock.
This Tuesday, the Lakers will have a 46.9% chance of landing a top-three pick (and thus retaining the pick) but have just a 15.6% chance of landing the first overall pick. Should they get lucky, the eldest Ball child could be the latest highly-touted prospect to don purple and gold.
To his credit, Lonzo Ball is seen by scouts as level-headed and unassuming, Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Daily News adds, suggesting that if given the opportunity, the Lakers will look to draft the UCLA product regardless of any possible complications related to his dad.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- As we wrote about earlier, a lousy reputation hasn’t exactly helped the Kings land talent. This year, however, the franchise is looking to use the combine as a way of chipping away at the “anywhere but Sacramento” mentality, Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes.
- Assistant-turned-temporary head coach Mike Brown has seen his career revitalized with the Warriors and Anthony Slater of the Mercury News has all of the details of the former Cavaliers bench boss’ journey in a must-read feature.
- Put simply, David West turned down over $10MM last season, instead opting for the chance to compete for a title with the Spurs. Now with the Warriors, Daniel Brown of the Mercury News writes, West is at the doorstep of the NBA Finals.
Draft Notes: Ball, Adebayo, Fox, Alkins
Outrageous statements by Lonzo Ball‘s father, LaVar, may prevent him from being the first player selected in next month’s draft, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman talked with several anonymous scouts and executives who said the headaches that LaVar Ball presents may cause Lonzo to slide, although possibly not lower than second. “Talking to people here, some guys are straying away from him as a top pick,’’ said a Western Conference scout. “If you don’t play him the right way, is the father going to say something? And you don’t want to have him on a big stage like New York. You’re always thinking: What’s next?’’ An Eastern Conference executive adds that whichever team drafts Ball should meet with him and his father to set “groundwork.”
There’s more draft news as the combine moves toward its final day:
- Kentucky center Edrice “Bam” Adebayo is a poor fit for the modern NBA, which may doom him to the second round, according to Chris Reichert of Fansided. Adebayo may tempt teams with his athleticism, strength, offensive rebounding and lateral quickness, but he’s not an exceptional shot blocker and doesn’t have the skills to space the floor.
- Point guard De’Aaron Fox of Kentucky has been the most impressive player at the combine, tweets Fran Fraschilla of ESPN.com. The network’s Chad Ford suggested this week that Fox is eclipsing Ball on some draft boards and could be the second player selected.
- Arizona’s Rawle Alkins has made an impression on scouts at the combine, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders. The shooting guard is ranked 78th in Jonathan Givony’s top 100 list and is trying to play his way into the draft.
- Washington guard Markelle Fultz continues to hold the top spot in the latest mock draft posted by Draft Express. Ball comes off the board second, followed by Josh Jackson of Kansas, Jayson Tatum of Duke and then Fox.
Draft Rumors: Risers/Fallers, Fox, Giles, Bradley
Power forwards Jordan Bell (Oregon) and Kyle Kuzma (Utah) are among the players who have impressed scouts and executives during five-on-five action in Chicago at this year’s combine, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link). Kuzma’s performance was so strong that he pulled out of today’s five-on-five game, quitting while he was ahead, tweets Ford.
Conversely, Maryland’s Melo Trimble and Iowa’s Peter Jok have struggled in Chicago, with Ford suggesting that Trimble’s draft stock has been “devastated” by his combine showing.
In addition to assessing the on-court performances of some notable prospects, Ford also passed along several interesting off-the-court items. Let’s dive in and round up those tidbits, along with a couple other draft-related notes and rumors…
- There appears to be a “growing movement” among some teams to place De’Aaron Fox ahead of Lonzo Ball on draft boards, according to Ford, who suggests that the Kentucky point guard could come off the board as high as No. 3 — or even No. 2.
- Teams are eagerly anticipating a look at the medicals on Harry Giles, who has been plagued by knee injuries. Ford says he has spoken to multiple NBA executives who are ready to move Giles into the 5-10 range if he’s fully cleared medically. “He’s the best prospect in the entire draft if he can fully recover and stay healthy,” one NBA exec told Ford. “He’s just a freaky talent.” Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) also hears that Giles is moving up draft boards.
- Ford’s sources expect freshman center Tony Bradley to remain in the draft rather than returning to North Carolina.
- Some NBA scouts believe Donovan Mitchell (Louisville) will end up being selected in the lottery, or just outside of it, according to Ford.
- Kentucky’s Hamidou Diallo looks like one of the best athletes in this year’s draft class, and that could be enough to make him a first-round pick if he stays in the draft, Ford writes.
- Arizona’s Rawle Alkins said on Thursday that he’s 50-50 on whether to remain in the draft or go back to school, and will get all the feedback he can before making a final call. Adam Zagoria of FanRagSports.com has the quotes and the details.
And-Ones: Kobe, Ball, Wanamaker, GM Meetings
Isaiah Thomas revealed earlier in the postseason that he has been communicating with Kobe Bryant before and after every playoff game, but Thomas is just one current NBA player who has been in touch with Bryant. As Jackie MacMullan of ESPN details, Bryant said he also talks regularly to players like Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
“I’m around for all the guys,” Bryant told MacMullan. “Anybody can reach out. It’s an open book.”
While Kobe may be willing to give advice and guidance to current players, don’t expect LaVar Ball to call up the future Hall-of-Famer anytime soon. Despite wanting his son Lonzo Ball to land with the Lakers, the elder Ball didn’t sound eager to reach out to one of the best players in Laker history.
“I don’t need no advice from Kobe Bryant,” LaVar Ball said during an appearance on ESPN Radio 710 L.A. “I don’t need advice from Kobe Bryant. Zo’s got to play his game. … If they’re at practice and he sees something and Lonzo listens to him or whatever, he’s good. … But it’s just not, ‘OK, I’m talking to Kobe, so now I’m going to be good.’ If Kobe sees something that Zo is doing, then go from there. But I’m not trying to pattern after nobody.”
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- All-Euroleague guard Brad Wanamaker is receiving “serious” NBA interest and could make the leap from Europe to North America this summer, tweets international basketball reporter David Pick. Wanamaker, palying for David Blatt’s Darussafaka Dogus team in Turkey, averaged a team-high 16.7 PPG in 34 Euroleague games this season.
- Two topics under discussion at this week’s general manager meetings in Chicago involved the trade deadline date and the buyout/waiver process, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Wojnarowski first reported last month that changes may be coming to the buyout/waiver process.
- Should the draft lottery happen before the draft combine? Should the draft come before free agency? Tom Ziller of SBNation.com wonders if the NBA’s offseason schedule needs to be re-adjusted.
- Josh Martin of Bleacher Report identifies several free agents that NBA teams would be wise to avoid this summer, and his list features a handful of big-name players.
Pacific Notes: Ulis, Suns, Lakers, Warriors
Suns guard Tyler Ulis underwent a surgical procedure on his right ankle, the Suns announced in a press release. The exact nature of Ulis’ injury remains unclear, but the team referred to the surgery as “minor” and said the rookie is expected to return to full basketball activity in about 12 weeks. That would put him on track to be ready to go in August, well before training camp gets underway.
Although Ulis’ overall numbers in his first NBA season were modest – 7.3 PPG and 3.7 APG in 61 contests – he thrived down the stretch with Eric Bledsoe on the bench. Ulis entered the Suns’ starting lineup on March 15, and averaged 16.1 PPG to go along with 8.5 assists in his final 15 games, showing that he deserves a role in the club’s rotation going forward.
Here’s more from around the Pacific division:
- The Suns head into next week’s draft lottery with a decent chance to land a top-two pick, and if they end up in a position to draft Lonzo Ball, they shouldn’t pass on the UCLA product due to the presence of his father LaVar, Dan Bickley writes in a column for The Arizona Republic. According to Bickley, Phoenix has interest in the younger Ball and views LaVar as a “minor red flag,” but not a deal-breaker.
- Bobby Marks of The Vertical previews the Lakers‘ offseason, suggesting that the team should be a little more cautious with its cap room than it was a year ago.
- The Warriors and their D-League head coach, Casey Hill, are parting ways, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). Hill, who won a title with the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2015, is seeking out an NBA assistant coach job, Wojnarowski adds.
- The Warriors have agreed to a two-year lease extension to remain at Oracle Arena through the 2018/19 season, according to an Associated Press report (link via NBA.com). The franchise is expected to make the move from Oakland to a new arena across the bay for the 2019/20 season, but the new agreement with Oracle Arena includes options for three additional years, just in case that move to San Francisco gets delayed.
Draft Notes: Fultz, Swanigan, Allen, Ball
Markelle Fultz will interview with several teams at the combine, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com tweets. The projected No.1 pick will meet with the Celtics, Suns, Lakers, Sixers, Kings, and Knicks.
You can find the odds that each of those teams has at landing the top pick here. The Kings are a notable inclusion to Fultz’s meetings, as they will hand their selection over to the Sixers via a pick swap should they land the No. 1 slot.
Here’s more on the upcoming draft:
- The Knicks will meet with Purdue’s Caleb Swanigan on Thursday, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News passes along via Twitter. The big man is the 29th best prospect, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express.
- Jarrett Allen will meet with the Sixers are Thursday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Givony pegs Allen as the 11th best prospect in the draft.
- Will Lonzo Ball‘s father cause teams to pass on the UCLA product? ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla doesn’t believe so, as Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News relays. “I doubt that will happen. I really do. The kid seems to be a great kid, an absolute delight to deal with and he was a great teammate. So that’s not going to be a big issue,” Fraschilla said.
Lakers Eyeing Four Prospects For Potential Lottery Pick
The Lakers aren’t assured of a lottery pick in this year’s draft, but they appears to be zeroing in on a small handful of prospects in case they do get lucky in next Tuesday’s lottery and hang onto their pick. According to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, the Lakers are focusing on Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, and De’Aaron Fox.
As has been well-documented, the Lakers will only keep their first-rounder this year if it lands in the top three. Because L.A. finished the NBA’s third-worst record during the regular season, the club’s odds of keeping that pick are just about a coin flip. As our breakdown of the lottery odds shows, there’s a 46.9% chance the Lakers hang onto their selection, and a 53.1% chance it falls outside the top three and gets sent to the Sixers.
While the Lakers won’t find out until next Tuesday night whether or not they’ll have a pick, they’re doing their homework on top prospects now, and will head to Chicago this week for the NBA draft combine. Ball and Jackson are skipping the event, but Fultz and Fox will be in attendance, giving the Lakers a chance to get a first-hand look at the pair of point guards.
Fultz and Jackson are viewed as top-three prospects by most draft experts, so it’s no surprise that they’re among the players being eyed by the Lakers. As for Fox, he’s a little further down on many draft boards, but the Lakers are intrigued by his speed, athleticism, and upside, Ding writes.
Meanwhile, Ball – another consensus top prospect – and his father LaVar have publicly expressed a desire for the UCLA point guard to be selected by the L.A. However, the Lakers have “most definitely have not put Ball on some pedestal as their potential savior,” sources tell Ding.
Draft Notes: Blackmon, Ford, Fox, Colette
Indiana guard James Blackmon has decided to remain in the draft, Jon Rothstein of FanRagSports.com reports. Blackmon confirmed on his Twitter feed that he will sign with an agent. Blackmon, who averaged 17.3 PPG and shot 42.3% on 3-point attempts, is essentially betting on himself and could wind up overseas if not in the D-League. He is not ranked among the Top 100 by DraftExpress or ESPN Insider Chad Ford. Blackmon joins two other Hoosiers who have declared for the draft — forward OG Anunoby, a potential lottery pick, and center Thomas Bryant. Indiana junior guard Robert Johnson will decide this week whether to remain in the draft, Rothstein adds.
In other draft-related nuggets:
- Washington guard Markelle Fultz remains atop Ford’s latest Big Board with UCLA’s Lonzo Ball holding the second spot. Gonzaga center Zach Collins moved from No. 11 to No. 9 and Duke guard Luke Kennard advanced from No. 17 to No. 15. Previously unranked Louisville guard Donovan Mitchell, who recently hired an agent, moved into the first round at No. 22.
- Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox believes he’s the top defensive guard in the draft, as he told ESPN’s Chris B. Haynes in a Q&A session. “For me, it’s not about offensive scoring, I want to shut the other guy down,” Fox boasted to Haynes. Fox is considered a sure-fire Top 10 pick, ranked No. 5 by both DraftExpress and Ford.
- A handful of NBA scouts and executives polled by Gery Woelfel of WoelfelsPressBox.com believe there are nine impact players in the draft. That front-office group named 21 potential lottery picks and generally view this draft as much deeper in quality than the 2016 version.
- Utah forward David Collette is expected to return to school, Rothstein tweets. The junior forward averaged 13.6 PPG and 5.1 RPG last season. Collette, a Utah State transfer, did not make the Top 100 lists.
Poll: Who Should Be Drafted First Overall?
With the NBA draft nearly a month and a half away, potential lottery teams like the Celtics, Suns, and Lakers, and basketball fans alike debate: who should be taken first overall? A pair of freshman point guards from Pac-12 schools, Lonzo Ball of UCLA and Markelle Fultz from the University of Washington, dominate the discussion.
In 25 games, Fultz averaged 23.2 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 5.7 RPG, while shooting 47.6% from the floor. Although Fultz’s Huskies finished 9-22 and did not qualify for the postseason, the 6’4″ prospect was named First Team All Pac-12 for his performance.
Ball, too, was named to the First Team, after averaging 14.6 PPG and 6.0 RPG on 55.1% shooting, while leading the nation with 7.6 APG. Ball’s Bruins finished 31-5 and were eliminated by Kentucky in the Sweet 16.
In an Insider-only piece at ESPN, Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton discuss potential sleepers to be selected first, but ultimately decide that it comes down to Fultz and Ball. After making the case for both players as the potential No. 1 pick, the duo diverges, with Ford leaning toward Fultz and Pelton preferring Ball.
What do you think? Should Ball or Fultz be drafted first? Or should someone else entirely go No. 1?
Vote below on which player you believe merits the honor of being the first name called on draft night. After placing your vote, share your thoughts in the comments section!
Who should be drafted first?
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Markelle Fultz 74% (1,046)
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Other 15% (215)
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Lonzo Ball 11% (156)
Total votes: 1,417
Draft Notes: Lottery, Fox, Tatum, J. Jackson
While this year’s draft class features a clear-cut top two in Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, the consensus rankings breaks down after that, says ESPN’s Chad Ford (Insider link). As Ford explains, some teams would likely target Kansas forward Josh Jackson with the No. 3 pick, but others – like the Sixers, Magic, Timberwolves, and Knicks – may be more inclined to nab Kentucky sharpshooter Malik Monk once Fultz and Ball are off the board.
Jackson or Monk come in at No. 3 for most of the lottery teams, Ford writes that Dennis Smith Jr. might be the best fit for the Nuggets after the two top point guards. Meanwhile, Ford also suggests that Ball could be a better fit than Fultz for some teams near the top of the lottery, including the Lakers, who “appear to be enamored” with the UCLA product.
Here are a few more draft-related notes worth rounding up:
- Most of this year’s top 10 prospects won’t be in Chicago next week for the NBA’s draft combine, but De’Aaron Fox is expected to attend, a source tells Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Outside of Fox, Markelle Fultz is the only other top prospect whose combine intentions haven’t been reported, though it would be a surprise if Fultz participated.
- Duke prospect Jayson Tatum isn’t getting any real buzz as a candidate to be picked first overall, but in an appearance on The Sidelines podcast with Evan Daniels, Tatum made the case for why he should be.
- North Carolina’s Justin Jackson has officially gone pro, forgoing his remaining NCAA eligibility by hiring agent Jim Tanner, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Jackson is viewed as a potential lottery pick.