When it comes to young rising stars, very few players are in the same tier as Jayson Tatum, who has led the Celtics to within two wins of a championship this year.
Tatum is an effective leader and proven scorer who has solidified his place as one of the best in the game.
For FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless, however, Chicago’s Lonzo Ball still has a chance to be better than him. Yes, you read that right.
On Undisputed this week, Mr. Bayless had this to say about the two-way point guard.
“Lonzo just keeps on getting better and better and better… Not right now. I think he could wind up being better than JT.”
Of course, Tatum and Ball were picked up in the same draft. Back in 2017, the Lakers picked Lonzo with the 2nd pick while Tatum fell to Boston at 3.
As great as Ball has been, and as much potential as he has, he just hasn’t played at Tatum’s level for a consistent stretch of time. Stephen A. Smith has admitted in the past how much better the Lakers would be today had they drafted Tatum instead of Lonzo.
“I’m sorry to be a spoiler for Lakers fans out here, but this is the guy you passed on to draft Lonzo Ball. How does that feel? Obviously, he might’ve not ended up this way, but let’s fantasize for a moment here: can you imagine if the Los Angeles Lakers had LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Jayson Tatum on the same team? I mean, can you imagine what could’ve been like?” Smith said.
Unfortunately for the Bulls, Lonzo’s health is a big concern right now as his knee injury grows more troublesome with each passing day.
Meanwhile, Tatum has lifted Boston to new heights. If the Bulls had their choice, it’s pretty obvious which player they would choose. Skip Bayless, it seems, still holds a curiously high level of optimism for what Ball can become.
