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NBA Draft Lottery 2017: Who each team should take with the No. 1 pick

By John Buhler

Jan 14, 2017; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) gets the rebound against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2017; Stanford, CA, USA; Washington Huskies guard Markelle Fultz (20) gets the rebound against the Stanford Cardinal in the first half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lonzo Ball
Mar 17, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) reacts on the court against the Kent State Golden Flashes in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Phoenix Suns: Lonzo Ball, point guard, UCLA Bruins (19.9 percent)

The Phoenix Suns were one of the hardest teams to watch this past season. They had so many guards from Kentucky on their roster, it was ridiculous. Phoenix essentially punted on its 2016-17 NBA season around February, winding up with the worst record in the Western Conference at 24-58.

The Suns ended up with a 19.9 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery. They have a 38.7 percent chance of landing a top-two pick, a 55.8 percent of getting a top-three pick and are guaranteed a top-five pick.

Since Phoenix already has a budding superstar at shooting guard in Devin Booker. The Suns will need to go after a point guard that would complement Booker perfectly. Washington’s Markelle Fultz seems to be too ball dominant to work in the Valley of the Sun. With Phoenix not having great luck with Kentucky point guards of late, that should eliminate De’Aaron Fox from the conversation.

That leaves one obvious player that the Suns would take at No. 1 overall: UCLA Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball looks to be of the Jason Kidd point guard prototype, a gifted pass-first point guard with great on-court awareness and a strange looking jumper that might go in.

A Ball/Booker backcourt would make Phoenix a more compelling NBA League Pass team next year instantaneously. Since Phoenix is not in Ball’s native California, that may not be a bad landing spot for him to grow as a man and as a professional basketball player. Ball would make Phoenix pretty interesting for sure.

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