Los Angeles Laker fans went bizerk when it was announced they’d have the second overall pick in the NBA Draft for the third consecutive year. Mostly on the fact it’s almost set in stone Los Angeles will be selecting UCLA Guard Lonzo Ball.
Ball has made his claim to fame, not only because of his spectacular play in his freshmen year at UCLA (14.6 PPG – 7.6 APG – 6.0 RPG), but because of his father & owner of “Big Baller Brand,” LaVar Ball.
It’s been speculated that with Lonzo Ball in LA, there’s little to no place for former number 2 overall pick, D’Angelo Russell (15.6 PPG).
Actually, Russell expressed his take on Ball not fitting in LA along with him, in one of his most recent likes on twitter:
It’s still unsure if D’Angelo Russell will be replaced as the starting PG by Lonzo Ball if Ball is drafted by the Lakers. It’s also unsure if LA will simply move Russell to the SG position if Ball is selected as well.
Russell has done well at the starting PG position for the Lakeshow. In this high scoring league, Russell has been the leading scorer for LA (15.6 PPG) in just his second year in the league, as well as the team leader in assists (4.8 APG). Seeing the exceptional talent that Ball is as a point guard, this move could actually be a huge boost for Russell’s career.
D-Lo wouldn’t have to have as much responsibility being the primary ball handler anymore, as he’s also the team leader in turnovers per game (2.8). Having the responsibility of a Klay Thompson or a JJ Redick to just catch & shoot, but still being a player who can create his own shot at 6’5, will make Russell the threat he’s supposed to have been when he was first drafted.
In fact, D’Angelo Russell set his career high in points starting at the SG position on March 5, 2017 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he scored 40 points on 14-22 FG & still ended up with 6 assists. Also, Lonzo Ball is a much better passer than Russell & can set the other 4 players up on the floor to excel to their fullest potential.
It’ll be a long off season, as we’re less than a month away from the NBA Draft. D’Angelo Russell did recently unlike the post after the twitter world made his like trending on all networks. The NBA sophomore hasn’t made a statement on the post yet, but he is known to create trends on social media … via Snapchat & Swaggy P.
