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2017 NBA Draft: 3 reasons Los Angeles Lakers must be wary of Lonzo Ball

By Gil Alcaraz IV

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

LaVar Ball

Despite his deficiencies, Ball is still an outstanding NBA prospect who’s got a very high floor and ceiling. Although I’m not entirely sold on him being the superstar he’s been painted as, the outlook is certainly bright for a player with an abundance of exciting skills.

The real problem is his father, who may just be Ball’s biggest crutch.

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    • Over the last couple of months, LaVar has done everything in his power to control nearly every aspect of his son’s life off the court. He’s released an overpriced shoe in his name, informed folks that his son will only work out for the Lakers, and made numerous other nonsensical claims. All the while, he’s making teams wonder if Ball is worth the headache.

    Honestly, I’m not sure if he is. He’s not LeBron James or Kobe Bryant, at least not at this point in his young basketball career. As great as he appears to be, Ball isn’t the generational type of talent that makes other potential issues worth the hassle.

    It is worth noting that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka recently stated on ESPN 710 (via Def Pen Hoops’ Rob Lopez) that he isn’t concerned about Ball’s family. Then again, NBA teams say a lot of things during this part of the offseason.

    A big part of the process for the Lakers will be interviews. If I were Magic, I’d want to know what type of person Ball really is. Has his father’s arrogance and asinine thought process rubbed off on the young point guard? Does he live in the same alternate reality that is going to lead to his eventual demise? Or maybe he’ll disrespect women and their opinions the way his dad did on Wednesday?

    If so, the Lakers need to steer clear. That type of recklessness is going to lead Ball down a dangerous road, and one Los Angeles shouldn’t care to join him on. I get it that LaVar is entertaining and the media is feeding into it. With that being said, his misguided micromanagement of his children’s lives foretells a story of disappointment.

    Next: 5 potential landing spots for Chris Paul in free agency

    We’ll see how things progress between now and June 22, but you can consider me a skeptic.

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