2017 NBA Mock Draft: What if the Lakers don’t take Lonzo Ball?
By Chris Stone
We’re back with our latest NBA mock draft, wondering what happens if the Los Angeles Lakers don’t take Lonzo Ball with the No. 2 pick.
The biggest assumption that draft analysts seem to be making at this point is that the top two picks in the 2017 NBA Draft are pretty cut and dry. Washington’s Markelle Fultz will come off the board to the Boston Celtics at No. 1 and UCLA’s Lonzo Ball will follow to the Los Angeles Lakers at No. 2. But, what if the Lakers buck the conventional wisdom and don’t take Ball? There are reports that the franchise will examine all of their options and, in particular, that they might be interested in Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox.
So, sticking with the idea that we want to look at different ways the 2017 NBA Draft might shake out, we’ve sent Fox to the Lakers at No. 2. What are the ramifications of that decision?
Let’s take a look.
Markelle Fultz
PG, Washington
With the ability to attack the basket, pull up in the mid-range and knock down outside shots, Fultz has the highest upside of any player in the draft. He also has better vision than he’s given credit for and the tools to be an impact defender even though he didn’t show that with the Huskies. It will take him some time to acclimate to the NBA game, but the potential is there for Fultz to be a star.
Drafting Fultz would open up plenty of options for the Celtics as they proceed to shape their roster into a championship contender. Isaiah Thomas’s free agency decision in 2017-18 will be the looming question mark next season and Fultz, if he’s good enough, could help make Boston’s choice there easier, especially if the franchise doesn’t see itself as a potential contender until LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers get out of the way.