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I started the Lonzo Ball draft thread, so couldn't resist here...

"All my boys are gonna be one-and-done. Gelo [LiAngelo] is going [to] be one-and-done whether he's good or bad," LaVar told ESPN. "I'm going to put him in the draft, hope they don't take him. Bring him into the Lakers as a free agent, let him wind up with his brother and watch how good they play together."

What I don't understand is if he doesn't stand out as a freshman at UCLA (I doubt he will), why would he leave school? Who knows what he still might develop into over 3-4 years. It makes it seem like Lavar has little confidence in LiAngelo's real skills, and just hoping he will get to catch a bunch of cherry pick passes from Lonzo...in the NBA. It's all for entertainment value anyway, I guess.

What do you all think he is going to do at the college level? Any whiff of a chance of going beyond college ball? NBA, Euro, Taiwan?

I think he could actually help UCLA especially if he sticks around for 4 years and could possibly have a nice career overseas. Too bad he could likely be pushed out after one year by his father and go totally undrafted. He's not a legit NBA prospect unless the Lakers just want to use their final spot on the roster to fill it with Lonzo's brother but this isn't a charity and over the long term the Lakers can't carry someone just because they are a relative (the Warriors can't carry Steph or Klay's brothers on the roster just because they are family) . Honestly think Gelo would have a better chance to make the NFL as a tight end than to have any type of meaningful NBA career.

Lavar has also came out and said LiAngelo wont make the NBA. LiAngelo shouldnt get much playing time this year, hes just not that good of a player. I still think he has a better chance at making the NFL as a TE than he does making the NBA.

mg wrote:I think he could actually help UCLA especially if he sticks around for 4 years and could possibly have a nice career overseas. Too bad he could likely be pushed out after one year by his father and go totally undrafted. He's not a legit NBA prospect unless the Lakers just want to use their final spot on the roster to fill it with Lonzo's brother but this isn't a charity and over the long term the Lakers can't carry someone just because they are a relative (the Warriors can't carry Steph or Klay's brothers on the roster just because they are family) . Honestly think Gelo would have a better chance to make the NFL as a tight end than to have any type of meaningful NBA career.

Haha dammit you beat me to the NFL TE thing by a second. Agree with everything you said. I think come his 3rd and 4th year he could be a good college player. But hes not a top tier prospect and probably wont get much time his first couple years.

The kid is huge, physical, quick footed and mean....he should be playing Tight End.

You guys might be onto something with the TE stuff...and actually playing college basketball and then trying out for NFL teams as a TE has worked for at least a couple of guys (including of course future HOF'er Antonio Gates.)

Duke4life831 wrote:Lavar has also came out and said LiAngelo wont make the NBA. LiAngelo shouldnt get much playing time this year, hes just not that good of a player. I still think he has a better chance at making the NFL as a TE than he does making the NBA.

He could help UCLA tho ironically enough they need badly a 4 that can shoot it
He might get to play more than people think

Me and a guy I work with have affectionately nicknamed him Nonzo Ball.

Gelo is Kris Jenkins from Villanova

This is a pretty rundown of his skills, at least as a high school player. I think some of these skills will translate to college:

He would be a complete moron if he started playing football.

I think him and LaMelo are closer than some people think in terms of chance to make it. Looks like he was one of the best high school players in the country. Not the most physically gifted but he has that old man game.

Lakers will sign him when he goes undrafted.

Dr Positivity wrote:I think him and LaMelo are closer than some people think in terms of chance to make it. Looks like he was one of the best high school players in the country. Not the most physically gifted but he has that old man game.

LiAngelo definitely wasn't one of the best HS players in the country. Might have been the 4th best player on Chino Hills.

LaMelo has high major talent though.

I'm seeing that he averaged 34ppg, maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing

Dr Positivity wrote:I'm seeing that he averaged 34ppg, maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing

Wouldn't surprise me, Chino Hills has a pretty unique style/gameplan.

Would still rank LiAngelo below LaMelo, Eli Scott, and the center.

Dr Positivity wrote:I'm seeing that he averaged 34ppg, maybe I'm looking at the wrong thing

While not even crossing the halfcourt line for defense. PPG means little in that context.

Even disregarding Chino Hills style of play, HS stats can be all over the place depending on level of competition, etc. It's like D/G-League scoring champions who never crack the NBA outside of occasional 10-day contracts. He shot 36% from 3 in HS, I think his college 3 ball is going to be key to him being effective in college, he's going to have to be a versatile scorer inside to out to overcome a height disadvantage.

One thing I will credit the Balls for is maximizing their potential, none of the guys have absolutely standout basketball bodies.

madmaxmedia wrote:Even disregarding Chino Hills style of play, HS stats can be all over the place depending on level of competition, etc. It's like D/G-League scoring champions who never crack the NBA outside of occasional 10-day contracts. He shot 36% from 3 in HS, I think his college 3 ball is going to be key to him being effective in college, he's going to have to be a versatile scorer inside to out to overcome a height disadvantage.

One thing I will credit the Balls for is maximizing their potential, none of the guys have absolutely standout basketball bodies.

Ya to put it into perspective, Justise Winslow was a 28ppg scorer in high school and he played against some legit tough competition for a high school team. He wasnt much of a scorer at Duke and definitely not a scorer in the NBA. High school stats are not something to really pay much attention too, the competition is so inconsistent that a lot of the time they get to pad their stats against teams that dont have a single D1 player on their team.

Dr Positivity wrote:I think him and LaMelo are closer than some people think in terms of chance to make it. Looks like he was one of the best high school players in the country. Not the most physically gifted but he has that old man game.

how much Chino Hills did you watch and what qualifies what LiAngelo does as old man game?