Ball looks like a good fit for Lakers

KAREEM COPELAND

Associated Press

Lonzo Ball seems to be just what the Lakers needed.

Yes, it's only summer league, but Los Angeles is mired in a playoff drought and in much need of some excitement. Enter the No. 2 pick in the draft.

Ball has created a buzz around the Los Angeles franchise — on and off the court.

He has averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in six summer league games in Las Vegas. The California native with Showtime-like flair has two triple-doubles and four double-digit assist games while leading the team to Monday night's championship game. He will miss the final contest with a mild calf strain.

His absence Monday is almost throwaway line in the final chapter of Ball's summer league story.

The 19-year-old made more headlines wearing different brands of sneakers each game.

"All press is good press, technically," Finish Line content manager and creative strategist Brandon Edler said. "Just the fact that we continue to talk about their every single move is amazing for their brand. ... Maybe his dad is just on a completely different level and he's sitting there thinking, maybe this isn't a great way to sell the shoe, but we've got everybody talking about us and every time somebody's talking about us, that's great for Big Baller Brand."

After wearing his own ZO2 shoes in his first two games , which sell for $495, Ball wore the Nike Kobe AD and a James Harden signature Adidas in the following games. It was Under Armour's turn Saturday when Ball played in a pair from Stephen Curry's signature line. Jordan Brand got in the mix Sunday when Ball wore the Jordan 31 low.

Ball and his boisterous father, LaVar, just might be marketing geniuses with how they've kept his sneaker choice as headline news despite turning down lucrative offers from the major brands.

The sneaker rotation is clearly a deliberate plan and LaVar continues to tell people he's asking for a $3 billion deal with one of the major companies.

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