Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons Lonzo Ball was the right pick
By Simon Smith
3. Point guard league
This almost goes without saying.
Stephen Curry. James Harden. Russell Westbrook. Chris Paul. Damian Lillard. The list of elite of point guard’s is endless. And that’s just in the Western Conference.
In order to “keep up with the Joneses,” having a dynamic point guard in the modern-day NBA is almost a necessity. By drafting Ball, the Lakers could very easily have set themselves up in this department for the next decade and beyond.
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You only need to look as far as the recent NBA Finals series, the third consecutive year of the Warriors battling the Cleveland Cavaliers, with two point guard’s leading the way in the series — Curry and Kyrie Irving, two of the absolutely elite in the league on the offensive end. The notable difference when Irving’s backup, Deron Williams, stepped on the floor was staggering.
In fact, over the course of the most recent playoffs, seven of the top 11 scorers were point guards. The LOWEST of these averages was Paul at 25.3 points per game. While his passing at present is his No. 1 strength, there is no reason at all why Ball can’t become an elite scorer in the league in the not too distant future.
Last season at UCLA, Ball averaged 14.6 points per game, shooting at a 55.1 percent clip from the field, and 41.2 percent from three-point range. Given Ball’s approach to the game and his level of talent at just 19 years of age, the transition to the pro game should be a fairly seamless transition.
Furthermore, Ball has the opportunity to work under possibly the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson.