LaVar Ball Says Lonzo, Pelicans Are 'Gonna Take It All This Year, for Sure'

LaVar Ball is confident that his son, Lonzo Ball, will bring a winning brand of basketball to the New Orleans Pelicans during the upcoming season.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, LaVar predicted that Lonzo and the Pels will win the NBA championship in 2019-20:

"They're gonna take it all this year, for sure," LaVar said.

Lonzo was dealt to the Pelicans from the Los Angeles Lakers during the offseason as part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to L.A.

LaVar offered several reasons for why he believes Lonzo will be successful in New Orleans, including head coach Alvin Gentry's philosophy: "All you need to be successful in the NBA, ya gotta have a coach be behind you. And, Alvin Gentry is that guy. ... What did Gentry say? He wants [the Pelicans] to play the fastest pace. That's Lonzo's best game!"

Additionally, LaVar said he feels being part of a young core with the likes of Brandon Ingram, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will benefit Lonzo:

"You've got a bunch of youngsters so you don't have 20 different people asking for the ball. Give it to Lonzo and let him just run it. ...

"If you gonna run and pass the ball and play the right way, Zo will play with anybody. So, it's not that Zion is better than LeBron, or LeBron is better ... anybody with an IQ that can play the game of basketball, [Lonzo's] fine playing with."

LaVar has a long history of making predictions with varying degrees of success. While he was right in predicting that the Lakers would take Lonzo with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, LaVar was wrong in predicting greatness for Lonzo in L.A.

In his two seasons with the Lakers, Lonzo was limited to 99 games due to injury, and he posted averages of 10.0 points, 6.4 assists and 6.2 rebounds per contest.

As a member of the Pels, Ball will have the opportunity to learn and play alongside a veteran guard in Jrue Holiday.

The Pelicans have +10000 odds to win the NBA championship this season, according to Caesars, but they are the 10th choice among Western Conference teams, which suggests they are expected to at least vie for a playoff berth.