Lonzo Ball is fresh off arguably the best season of his professional career.
Although Stan Van Gundy obviously didn’t mesh well with the New Orleans Pelicans, but the effect he had on Lonzo was tremendous.
In 2020-21, the youngster averaged 14.6 points on 41.4 shooting from the field and 37.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc. All three marks were career highs. In addition, he also averaged 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds — both fairly close to his career averages.
Despite Ball's stock arguably being the highest its ever been throughout his professional career, it doesn’t look like the Pelicans have much interest in bringing him back.
Fortunately, the New York Knicks are said to have serious interest in bringing Ball in. And one person who loves that is his dad, LaVar.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, LaVar relishes the opportunity for his eldest son to play in front of the bright New York lights:
“Ball, the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft, is a restricted free agent, but the [New Orleans] Pelicans might not match an offer sheet that starts at $19 million…
“[Knicks president] Leon Rose knows Lavar from their past when CAA repped the Balls. The father’s eccentricities are not an issue. Sources believe Lavar, a former Jets tight end on the practice squad, wants all his sons on Broadway, and the Knicks are on Lonzo’s radar.”
Lonzo recently opened up about two deeply personal things: his complicated relationship with LeBron James and the lowest point of his basketball career. In both instances, he sounded like a guy with real perspective, who understood his strengths and weaknesses far better than the brash youngster who entered the league just a few years ago.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks ultimately sign Lonzo, but if they do, the team will likely be better off for it.
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