Wednesday is a big day for Lonzo Ball. He’s going to work out for the Lakers and try to show them why he deserves to be selected with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft. The Lakers have reportedly had some concerns about taking Ball so high in the draft, so his workout and interview with the team are both going to be important.
And according to Lakers head coach Luke Walton, Lonzo isn’t going to have his dad LaVar by his side when his workout begins. Walton appeared on The Jim Rome Show on Tuesday and talked about Lonzo’s workout. He said that LaVar would be welcome to join his son at a dinner with the team, but he indicated that the Lakers are going to have a closed-door policy when it comes to the actual workout.
"The workout is something that we’ll keep the doors closed on," Walton said, "but the dinner, I think he would definitely make the dinner more entertaining. He’s definitely welcome to join us for that one."
Walton also spoke about whether or not LaVar will play any role in the Lakers’ decision to draft Lonzo. He said that he doesn’t think it will be a factor.
"We’re in the NBA, to me, that’s not an issue," he said. "Parents are always gonna have their opinions. They’re gonna be outspoken at times. As you know, Jim, I have a very outspoken father myself. It doesn’t bother me. If we were to draft him, we’re gonna coach him. He’s gonna be part of our team. He’s gonna be part of our family. And we’ll go from there. This is the NBA. We’ll keep the team where it needs to be. We’ll not let outside things like that influence us on whether or not we pick the kid."
Walton seemed to echo some of the same sentiments expressed by former sports agent Andrew Brandt in a piece published on Tuesday. You can listen to Walton talk in the clip above.
