The moment we’ve all been waiting for arrived on Wednesday as UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers. The two sides have been linked for months although it appears the Lakers have not made up their mind yet on selecting him with the second overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Before workouts got underway, Ball met with Magic Johnson, Rob Pelinka, and Luke Walton for dinner on Tuesday.
Laker meetings with Lonzo Ball have started. Team execs Magic and Pelinka plus Coach Luke Walton just dined with Ball at Scopa in Venice.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) June 7, 2017
We've got an image. Idk who it came but I saw it on an aggregator account. pic.twitter.com/lTr3PM652W
— Ry (@JustRyCole) June 7, 2017
After the workout, Ball will be having lunch with Jeanie Buss and other members of the Buss family:
Lonzo Ball set to work out for Lakers this morning. Then lunch with Jeanie, Joey, Jesse Buss. Dinner last night done with Magic, Rob, Luke.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) June 7, 2017
Ball’s workout itself was closed to the media but we have some photos courtesy of the Lakers:
Working out for the #LakeShow today, @UCLAMBB guard Lonzo Ball pic.twitter.com/vMTT0x8dOT
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 7, 2017
Lamar Odom was also present, once again, as he continues his efforts to land a job on Luke Walton’s staff:
Lamar Odom was at Lonzo Ball's workout. #Lakers pic.twitter.com/ZYTs1ortDm
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) June 7, 2017
After the workout, however, Ball was sent out to meet with the media and answer questions. While not as quotable as his controversial father, Ball did offer some insight into the workout and some confident remarks:
Lonzo Ball: “It was a lot of fun.” Said there was a lot of shooting at the workout, a lot off the dribble, a lot in general.“
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 7, 2017
Ball asked if the Lakers is where he wants to be: “Of course.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 7, 2017
Lonzo Ball on @MagicJohnson: “He’s the best point guard to ever play. I’ve looked up to him my whole life.“
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 7, 2017
Lonzo Ball on Magic Johnson: "My dad loved him. Loved the way the Lakers played, so I kind of patterned my game after that."
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) June 7, 2017
Ball on message from Magic/RP/Luke: “Come in and be a leader … they were very positive. They just wanted to know what kind of person I am.“
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) June 7, 2017
Lonzo Ball on LA core: "They’re young, I’m young. I see they like to run. I love to run, so I think we can complement each other very well."
— Shahan Ahmed (@shahanLA) June 7, 2017
Lonzo Ball wasn’t nervous for his workout with the Lakers: “No, I don’t get nervous, I play basketball."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) June 7, 2017
Most notable, however, was this quote from Lonzo:
Lonzo Ball on why the Lakers should draft: “They need a leader. They need a point guard.”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) June 7, 2017
On the surface, that seems like a shot at D’Angelo Russell, the incumbent point guard who took on the challenge of being the team’s leader last season. But every team needs more than one leader and with Russell’s abilities as an off-ball threat, Lonzo becoming the nominal point guard is not as big of an issue as most seem to make it. That said, this ill be the topic of conversation from the media scrum so get ready to hear about it for the next few months.
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