Kendrick Perkins has been known to make more than a few contentious comments over the past few years. However, it seems like he might be on to something with his bold take on Lonzo Ball's upcoming season with the Chicago Bulls. Perk's latest statement probably won't make Zion Williamson too happy, though.
Perkins randomly shared his thoughts on a Twitter survey asking which player is going to elevate their game the most next season. The one-time NBA champ did not hesitate in his response — he gave a resounding vote for Lonzo Ball:
Did Perk just pick the new Bulls recruit as the NBA Most Improved Player winner for the 2021-22 season? Well, not directly, but based on the enthusiasm in the above tweet, it is clear that Perkins is extremely high on Lonzo Ball.
For what it's worth, Lonzo Ball isn't a frontrunner for the NBA Most Improved Player Award this coming season. The bookmakers have given him +3000 odds to bag the coveted award. Guess who Vegas has at the top of the list? Yup. Zion Williamson.
Zion didn't take the league by storm in his second year last season. However, things could be different this year. The 21-year-old appears to be fully healthy. Ironically, the departure of now ex-teammate Lonzo Ball from the Pelicans could actually work in favor of Williamson. There have been rumors of the Pelicans wanting to experiment with Zion as their primary playmaker, and Ball's exit leaves the door wide open for Williamson.
Lonzo Ball has gone through a number of significant twists and turns in his still-young NBA career, but the common thread knitting together his NBA playing stops — previously the Lakers, then the Pelicans — is that he was on a roster which wasn't in an ideal position to win a championship. Many will say, quite reasonably, that he still isn't in position to win big in Chicago. We will see if he can change the narrative around his career.