Lonzo Ball Compares His Game to Magic Johnson, Talks Possibly Playing for Lakers

Lonzo Ball, one of the top talents in this year's NBA draft, spoke with Shams Charania of The Vertical about Magic Johnson's influence on his game and his desire to play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, among other topics. 

"I watched tape on Magic when I was young and it’s why you can see it in my game," Ball said. "He liked to pass, I like to pass. He was a big point guard, I’m a big point guard. And I feel the way the game is played means a lot to him and me."

Ball would also love the opportunity to learn from Johnson and to pick his brain going forward:

"I can learn a lot from Magic, and it would be a blessing for me to be able to take after him each and every day," he said. "Magic is probably the best guard to ever play the game. The fact that he also played as a big guard, he can show me things. I would love to have that sit-down and learn to be the best player I can be."

Doing so, of course, will be far easier if Ball is ultimately selected by the Lakers. Johnson became the team's president of basketball operations this year, and Ball commented on the possibility of playing for the team.

"The Lakers are in L.A., and they’re close to home," he noted. "This is where all my family is. Hopefully, they have a nice pick and they have a chance to get me. I want this to be realistic. Just being very family-oriented, to play in front of them would mean a lot to me. The Lakers are a young team and they have a lot of young talent."

And Ball would not only fit within Luke Walton's style of play, he'd also allow the Lakers to move D'Angelo Russell to shooting guard full time, a switch that would potentially suit the 2015 first-round selection. Plus, Ball's exciting and unselfish style of play—namely in transition—would be reminiscent of the old Showtime Lakers and give the team a unique talent handling the rock. 

Ball certainly transformed UCLA in his one season with the Bruins, averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game and leading the team to the Sweet 16.

While the fit with the Lakers is a good one, however, the team may not have a say in whether they can bring Ball aboard. They have the third-best odds of winning the lottery but just as easily could lose their first-round pick altogether, as the pick will convey to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls outside of the top three.

Recognizing that he could easily end up with a different team, Ball noted, "I’ll play for anyone, all 30 teams. "I want the challenge of helping turn around any team in the league. Just making it to the NBA, that’s my goal."

Ultimately for Ball, the focus is on winning basketball games no matter where he plays:

"That’s the culture I want: to enter a situation and help my team win," he said. "I’ll do whatever I can for wins. It’s what I did when I was at Chino Hills. It’s what I did at UCLA. It’s what I’ll do again at the next level. Just do what I can to help my team win and make players around me better."

"I hate to lose," he added. "I hate it."