NBA Draft 2017: 5 most overrated prospects
By David Rouben
2. Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA
There may not be a more controversial pick in this draft than Lonzo Ball. It’s through no fault of his own, he’s a great player and is likely going to go second overall. But fans will be actively rooting against him because of his father, whose real name cannot be said due to the final ruling of the Council of Word People.
Lonzo could’ve come into this draft as a good guard prospect with plenty of upside who could help guide a franchise back to the playoffs. But thanks to the greatest sports promoter since Don King, he won’t be successful unless he ends up being better than Steph Curry. That statement is objectively untrue, especially for someone with a jump shot as aesthetically unpleasing as this:
That’s far from his only drawback. His greatest strength is the way he can push up the court and lead a transition offense. But in a half-court set, his inability to create his own shot is glaring. 75 percent of his pick-and-roll possessions came as a passer, and he hardly gets into the paint on his own – just 33 of his possessions came in isolation. While his court vision can’t be denied, people will question his scoring ability as well as his ability to defend the pick-and-roll, which was exposed by Kentucky and De’Aaron Fox.
Still, a player that transformed UCLA’s offense the way he did is something that teams will covet. He’ll have a good impact on whichever team drafts him – although let’s not pretend that anyone other than the Lakers will take him. It just bothers me whenever people put him above Markelle Fultz because of how well their respective teams played, which is what Lakers fans did with Ingram and Simmons. And unless he lives up to the ridiculous hype that his father has put on him, Lonzo is almost guaranteed to be overrated.