With the order of the picks for the 2017 NBA Draft now known following Tuesday night's draft lottery, the focus can now shift to the possible selections for the teams placed at the top.
One of the names that will certainly gain much more traction over the next month leading up to the draft will be former UCLA product Lonzo Ball. In the last several weeks, Ball and his father, LaVar Ball, have voiced their strong desire for him to land with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
Although the Lakers were able to retain their top-three protected first-round pick by landing in the second spot, the Boston Celtics grabbed the No.1 overall selection. It has now put Ball in a potentially precarious position as the Celtics could take him with the pick. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Ball is undecided about whether he will work out with the Boston prior to the draft.
Lonzo Ball will work out for the Lakers. That’s been clear from the start. But will he work out for the Celtics, who have the #1 pick? Or any other team in the lottery for that matter? Source close to the UCLA freshman says he’s undecided. “We will make that decision closer to June,” source says. Adding that it’s been “clear from the start our desired destination is Los Angeles.”
It should come as no surprise that Ball only has eyes for joining the Lakers, which was once again made clear in LaVar's exclusive interview with Ryan Ward of Lakers Nation on Tuesday night following the draft lottery.
“That’s all we working out for is the Lakers,” said LaVar. “Just the Lakers. There’s nobody else that we need to workout for.”
This could turn into quite an intriguing situation if the 19-year-old neglects to work out for the Celtics in an attempt to force his way to Los Angeles. Ball is regarded as arguably the best talent in this year's draft class after a stellar freshman year at UCLA in which he led the nation with 7.6 assists per game while setting the school's single-season record with 274 assists.
That said, things will certainly heat up in the coming weeks leading up to the draft with Ball right in the center of it all.