2017 NBA Draft: Lottery Point Guards the Lakers can Draft Instead of Lonzo Ball

De’Aaron Fox – Kentucky

The next two guys on this list would only be taken assuming that both Fultz and Ball were taken one and two, with the Lakers making it three consecutive point guards taken. While he may not have the star power of Lonzo Ball, De’Aaron Fox would still be a solid option for the Lakers to take. They already have a Kentucky player in Julius Randle, making it perhaps an easier choice to pick a fellow John Callapari product.

Fox may not have put up the same all-around numbers that Ball was able to put up throughout the season, arguably because of a harder schedule, but Fox still showed the ability to be a serious threat on the court. In his freshman year with Kentucky Fox averaged 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game.

Those numbers were with duds in the season as well, as Fox as games where he scored as little as six points. Kentucky fans constantly saw Fox score over 20, and he showed the ability to step up in huge games. Take Kentucky’s Sweet Sixteen game as an example – Fox seemingly played with a chip on his shoulder, shooting 13-15 from the field with 39 points, three rebounds, and four assists.

Plus, perhaps the biggest deciding factor, is Fox knows what it is like to play alongside a player like D’Angelo Russell. Fox played alongside Malik Monk in Kentucky, who has a very similar pay style to Russell. Both are guards that can play both point guard and shooting guard, giving Fox a very similar dynamic in Los Angeles.