2017 NBA Mock Draft: Fultz to Celtics, Ball to Lakers after lottery
By Chris Stone
Lonzo Ball
PG, UCLA
Sometimes things just seem to fall into place and so it was on Tuesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers moved up from the No. 3 pick to the second selection. Assuming Markelle Fultz comes off the board at No. 1, that leaves the hometown kid, Lonzo Ball, for the Lakers.
It’s worth noting that the fit, like Fultz in Boston, isn’t necessarily a perfect one. Los Angeles already has D’Angelo Russell on its roster and pairing him with Ball could pose some difficult issues in isolation situations on the defensive end. However, since Ball and Russell are both big guards, the Lakers should be able to switch everything and still play a functional defense.
The exciting times will be had on the offensive end where the two point guards could combine to create one of the more free flowing offenses in the NBA. Both players shoot it well enough to space the floor off the ball and both of them can make plays with the ball in their hands, especially against a moving defense.
There is a very viable case for taking Josh Jackson here in order to lock down a wing defender — and one we’ll likely look at in a future mock draft — but Ball feels like the most likely outcome.