It's been widely assumed UCLA's Lonzo Ball is a virtual lock to be drafted by the L.A. Lakers with the number two overall pick, but according to reports, that may not be the case.
According to NBA insider Steve Kyler, the Lakers may opt for Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox with the second selection in tonight's draft.
As of this afternoon Lakers still have not committed to Lonzo Ball (not uncommon) and indicated De'Aaron Fox still under real consideration
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
The Lakers have still clearly not committed to selecting Ball, despite league-wide speculation that he's a sure thing to end up in Los Angeles. The Lakers just paved the way for a new starting point guard after trading former number two pick D'Angelo Russell to the the Brooklyn Nets, and it has been assumed Ball would be selected his replacement.
Despite the hype around Ball, Fox vastly outperformed his point guard counterpart in their two college matchups. In their lone regular season meeting, Fox dropped 20 points and nine assists, and also forced Ball into six turnovers. In their second head-to-head matchup, Fox scored an astounding 39 points as Kentucky knocked off UCLA in the Sweet 16.
Ball may still have a higher ceiling than the speedy Fox, whose outside shooting and decision making have come into question. Still, both players are expected to be taken in the top 5 of tonight's draft, and it appears the gap between Ball and Fox is no longer as wide as it once was.
This is already shaping up to be one of the more interesting drafts in the past few years.
Follow Us
Subscribe