One of the most popular narratives surrounding LaMelo Ball, as was the case with Lonzo, has been the role his father will play in his career. Despite evidence with Lonzo largely to the contrary, the debate as to whether LaMelo is worth drafting given LaVar’s personality and propensity to talk has heated up.
While LaVar Ball addressed the criticism head-on with a surprisingly inciteful answer, it will do little stem the talk. However, having teams speak out against the notion will certainly have a bigger impact.
During a radio interview with 97.1 The Ticket, Pistons Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations Ed Stefanski addressed whether LaVar had an impact on LaMelo’s draft stock.
“I don’t have any real issues, and I don’t think I’m naïve, because I’ve been in the league a long time, You have to be careful sometimes on parents and they have the kids’ ears, but in the NBA the parents are not anywhere near like they would be on a high school team or an AAU team or a college team. I’ve had some big-time stars with parents who care about their son and maybe a little helicopter parenting, but that really has not affected the NBA. So I’m not concerned about that with any parent.”
This is much the same response LaVar had when addressing the matter on his own recent audio interview. The NBA, and even Division I college basketball, is unlike high school and AAU where parents can dictate matters. At higher levels, those antics are far easier to ignore and toss to the wayside.
Given the multiple comments from Stefanski, it appears the Pistons are higher on Ball than other teams like the Warriors. The fit and need are there and the Pistons figure to be in a position to draft Ball.
