The Big Lead

NBA Teams Claim They Won't Hold Lonzo Ball's Dad Against Him

By Ryan Phillips

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It looks like LaVar Ball’s presence won’t hurt the draft prospects of his son too much. Based on several reports about the approaching 2017 NBA Draft, it appears teams will judge UCLA guard Lonzo Ball on his own merit, and not allow his dad’s ridiculousness to factor in.

Magic Johnson told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman that LaVar would have absolutely no impact on how the Los Angeles Lakers judged Lonzo as a player.

Phoenix Suns GM Ryan McDonough echoed those sentiments while on ESPN2, saying the following:

"“Not really, no. We evaluate the player first and foremost. Every player comes from a different family situation. It seems like LaVar has been extremely involved in Lonzo’s career and obviously he’s a polarizing guy. But on the court, in terms of development, it seems like it’s helped Lonzo. As we try to weigh in all the factors, certainly having a parent who’s very involved and cares a lot, we don’t view that as a bad thing. It’s a little bit different than certain situations but it’s certainly that we would not disqualify Lonzo for, or really factor heavily in our decision.”"

The Suns have the second-best odds in the lottery and are guaranteed a pick in the top five, while the Lakers have the third-best odds. The Lakers would lose their pick if it falls outside the top three.

So two of the teams that could be picking in among the top three picks have decided LaVar will have no impact on their decision to draft his son.  That’s great news for Lonzo who, on merit alone, certainly deserves to be selected in the top four.

As the draft approaches it appears the top five players have separated themselves from the pack. Washington’s Markelle Fultz is the clear No. 1 pick, while Ball, Duke’s Jayson Tatum, Kentucky’s De'Aaron Fox and Kansas’ Josh Jackson have all solidified their stock.

The X-factor in all of this was how teams were going to approach Ball given his dad’s personality. It appears that may not be a concern. Of course, we’ll have to see how the draft plays out before we know for sure.