Lakers: Three reasons signing Andrew Bogut was the right move
By Keith Rivas
The signing also helps us know how to better evaluate Lonzo Ball
The biggest story by far for the Lakers this summer was drafting former UCLA phenom Lonzo Ball and trading away D’Angelo Russell. Now Los Angeles has their new direction picked, it just depends on if this road ends up getting bumpy or not.
Magic Johnson has clear faith in Lonzo Ball, but his rookie season probably won’t come without a couple of hiccups. He’ll get to play with Brook Lopez in the starting lineup, which is great, but now Andrew Bogut gives him another option.
When Ivica Zubac is on the floor, we’ll get to see how he runs things with the young core as the focus of what the team is doing. It’ll be a sign of things to come so long as Zubac is still the team’s long-term answer at the position once he develops his game more.
Factoring Bogut into the picture, Ball will show us how he can play with a veteran center who isn’t as good as Lopez but could be a step ahead of Zubac. Being able to play with multiple types of centers, not just different guys on different levels, is going to be another reason to love Lonzo Ball if he pulls it off.
Lopez can shoot, Zubac has growing to do, and Bogut just needs to stay healthy and then he’ll be able to make his own impact. They all play the center position differently, so we’ll be able to see if, when, and how that changes Lonzo Ball’s approach moving forward.
Next: Andrew Bogut Joins Lakers
It may not be a good long-term determining factor for Ball, but it absolutely will in at least his rookie season.