Los Angeles Lakers: Hot takes on futures of Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma

Lonzo Ball

The Hot Take:

Lonzo Ball will go down as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, utilizing his elite passing skills, dynamic defensive abilities and immense scoring potential to put together a Hall-of-Fame career.

The Reasoning:

I know, I know. As if the Lonzo hype machine wasn’t already obnoxious enough. You’ve heard all of the crazed fans talk about Ball’s potential, and you’ll hear plenty more in years to come. However, I’m going to go out on a ledge and say it’s all very well warranted.

So warranted, in fact, that it may actually not be enough. Seriously, let’s kick the hype up a few more notches. Because based on what we’ve seen so far and the potential Ball possesses as an elite two-way game-changer, I’m predicting that he ends up in the Hall of Fame once his days on the hardwood are over.

Why? Well let’s look at the boxes already being checked off.

• Elite passing: Check!
• Lockdown defense: Check!
• Outstanding athleticism: Got it!
• Basketball IQ: You know it!
• A team-first, win-first mentally: Absolutely!
• Unstoppable scoring/shooting: Not yet, but we’ve seen it peek its head out at times.

The Lakers were clearly better with Ball on the floor — can’t argue against it. He makes his teammates better, plays team-first basketball, knows how to take a game over (but needs to more often), and is already an elite defender. Imagine what his game will look like with a few more years of development and coaching.

A lot of people like to make the Jason Kidd comparison, and it’s a reasonable one. However, I’m saying screw that! By the time Ball’s days of ballin’ are over, Kidd will be wishing he was still being compared to him.

Next: Lakers players most likely to be traded in 2018

When all is said and done, we may be comparing him to another legendary Lakers point guard. You know, the one who drafted him and hailed him as the future of the franchise.