3. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lonzo Ball era is officially upon us. Some people more than likely have heard more from Lonzo’s father, Lavar, than they have Lonzo himself. However, people should not overlook how talented Lonzo is.
Ball is responsible for turning the UCLA program around and took them to the Sweet 16. The Lakers have surrounded Ball with young talent in Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle. Newly acquired Brook Lopez will also give a scoring boost and veteran leadership to the young Lakers squad. The likelihood of Paul George joining the Lakers is also fairly high as he has constantly reiterated his desire to play in LA.
This young Lakers squad as it is has the potential to be dangerous, but the addition of PG would make them lethal.
In their first season without Kobe Bryant in this century, the Lakers showed some flashes of how dangerous they can be, but nothing showing that it will happen soon. The Lakers went into the season knowing that their pick was top 3 protected, so it is likely that they may have let a few games “slip” away from them to ensure that they kept their pick. The Lakers never stay down for long and it is only a matter of time before this young core forms their own legacy.