Official: Unsubstantiated Trade Suggestions, Speculation, And Rumors

Depending on the price he's worth the look for sure.

 

Off an SI Mock Draft:

2. Lakers: Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA | Freshman

If Fultz is the best point guard prospect of the decade, Lonzo Ball is the most interesting. First, everyone agrees he's an incredible passer. But among NBA people, I've heard him called a taller Kendall Marshall, and Ricky Rubio with a jumpshot, while others see a skinnier Jason Kidd. It's quite a spectrum. Against Kentucky, he was locked up by De'Aaron Fox, which may have validated some fears about whether he's athletic enough to dominate at the next level. The questions there are real, and can't be totally dismissed. That said, he's the smartest, craftiest player on one of the best college teams in the country, and he's 6'6". Both his intelligence and his size give him a great shot at mitigating weaknesses and finding a way to pick defenses apart in the NBA. Couple his passing with the ability to knock down open looks and extend defenses with the occasional deep bomb, and here's to betting he's the second guy off the board by the time June arrives.

 

I don't like the sound of "bigger Kendall Marshall" and I'm inclined to think that's not too far off. I'm not positive at all his weird jump shot translates to NBA defenses. I do like the way he controls and operates an offense and he is certainly a good passer, but Marshall was too.

 

There was another mock draft I read...can't find it however. It had us picking a tough defensive wing that couldn't shoot. I believe it was Josh Jackson of Kansas.

 

If DLO is Conley, we are in great shape.

 

Russell is and will end up being a shooting guard IMO.

The Lakers though seem to continue to put a square peg in a round hole. Russell is at his best when he scores. He doesn't excel at setting up others and not looking for his shot. He doesn't have a single game with double digit assists this season even though he is playing in a high pace offense. He is averaging 4+ assists, which is not good for a starting PG in the NBA. And he produces insane TOs that are unworthy of a PG. There are plenty of forwards and shooting guards with higher assist numbers or assist/to ratio.

I think Russell is a solid talent and can succeed in the NBA despite his mentality and immaturity. He has a lot of talent to make up for it. But I'm not sure it will work if they force him to be something he is not. "big PG at 6'5" always sounds suspect to me. You might wanna check the top 10 PGs and tell me how many are bigger than 6'3'', even including the scoring PGs....the answer is zero.

Curry, Westbrook, Paul, Irving, Lowry, Lillard, Wall, Isiah Thomas, Kema Walker, Conley.

Ya James Harden comes to my mind who is actually not a PG but is playing as a PG with amazing success. But he is an exception to the rule.

 

Both Josh Jackson and Jayson Tatum are intriguing, but neither are shooters. Josh Jackson actually could be Ingram-esque in a rangy kid with a defensive focus and some guard skills. Tatum is more like Rudy Gay or a worse Derozan. He's athletic in space and has a decent feel for the game, but he's mostly about getting to his mid-range shot (which is good).

I'm not sold on either of them honestly. The more I look at this draft, the more I think Fultz is the guy to get. I haven't looked past the first 5-6 guys though.