Boston Celtics: 5 potential No. 1 picks in the NBA Draft
By Riley Culler
Lonzo Ball is one of the more interesting players in this draft. Not due to anything he did, but his outlandish father and 2 younger brothers who also have NBA potential. Ball is an old fashioned floor general, he is not only an elite passer; but could possibly be the NBA’s most elite passer.
Here is what one Western Conference Executive had to say about the distractions facing Ball.
"“If you can take Ball, you don’t worry about the father, that will work itself out. He’ll be fine. The big thing is, you’re going to get his son, who is a player who made his teammates better at UCLA. That started with Steve Alford’s own son. Those guys are hard to find.”"
Ball is not only talented, but makes those around him better. He can create offense out of nothing, and make casual players look great. Here is Mike Schmitz of Draft Express breaking it down.
Ball has amazing court vision and is an elite passer, scouts are comparing him to Jason Kidd so don’t take his ability to pass the ball for granted. Ball could be the NBA’s best pure point guard, even though he doesn’t look like one, being 6’5.
Some scouts are concerned with his unorthodox shooting form, but he is excellent at mid and long range jumpers.
College Statistics
14.6 PPG 6.0 RPG 7.6 APG 0.8 BPG 1.8 SPG : FG% (.551) 3P% (.412) FT% (.673)
Strengths & Weaknesses
S: High IQ. Elite Passer. Excellent ball handler. Deep range jumper. Explosive leaper.
W: Needs to add strength. Family is a concern distraction wise. Unorthodox shooting form
Potential Roster Fit
This seems like a weird fit but Boston’s offense could be deadly, Ball needs to be the floor general to excel, but where does that leave Thomas. Ball could back up Thomas, and with Thomas’ ability to play off the ball it could work. With Thomas as the main scorer and Ball an elite passer, the Celtics could be a high flying offense next year.