NBA Draft 2017: Lonzo Ball announces he’s leaving UCLA

As we look ahead to the NBA Draft 2017, Lonzo Ball officially announced he’s leaving UCLA after their Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky.

Losing sucks, but with this situation, Lonzo Ball still sees the silver lining. After a remarkable freshman campaign, the first of three Ball brothers has declared for the draft.

The Bruins were simply outmatched by Kentucky, who depended on a great game from De’Aaron Fox to get the job done. North Carolina took care of Butler to secure their spot against Kentucky earlier Friday.

Ball’s announcement was reported by ESPN after the game versus Kentucky.

Per the report:

"The 6-foot-5 point guard, expected to be selected in the top three of June’s NBA draft, said after Friday night’s loss to Kentucky that he was heading to the NBA.“That was my final game for UCLA and I appreciate all the fans and all the support,” Ball said."

Moving his focus to the professional level, where Ball lands in the draft is up for discussion. Depending on which teams get which picks, Ball could even end up staying in Los Angeles.

Obviously, before the Lakers make a major move such as that, they’ll have to be sure that he’s who they want. Two drafts ago, they went for a point guard in D’Angelo Russell.

And they’re still waiting on him to be that franchise player.

Ball could fit in with the young core, but his talents aren’t exclusive to Los Angeles.

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Teams will also have to consider whether or not his father, LaVar, will be too much of a distraction. It’s unfortunate that the confidence he has in his son may affect where he plays, but that’s the reality.