The 2019-20 NBA regular season is just around the corner and LaVar Ball is ready to bring back the hype train. After a disappointing stop with the Los Angeles Lakers, LaVar watched his oldest son Lonzo traded away from his hometown team. Lonzo landed with the New Orleans Pelicans in a trade that allowed the Lakers to acquire star big man Anthony Davis.
But with Lonzo looking for a fresh start, LaVar is back in his role as hype man and has big predictions for Lonzo’s debut season in NOLA.
While speaking to TMZ Sports, LaVar made the bold prediction that Lonzo and No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson will help lead the Pelicans to the NBA championship.
“How far in the playoffs? The championship. Aha!” LaVar said during a recent interview with TMZ Sports. “You don’t go to the championship just to go, you go to win. They’re going to take it all this year, for sure.
“Oh yeah, for sure — especially for Lonzo. On the fact that, what did [Alvin] Gentry say? He wants them to play the fastest pace and that’s Lonzo’s best game. And you got a bunch of youngsters, so you don’t have 20 different people asking for the ball. You give it to Lonzo and you just run.”
Bold predictions are nothing new for LaVar, but he has yet to accurately predict the NBA careers of his sons. New Orleans fans, meanwhile, would be happy to see the new-look Pelicans live up to the expectations that LaVar appears to have.
The Pelicans will officially kickoff their 2019-20 campaign on the road on Tuesday, October 22 against the defending champion Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena, so we will get an early look at how the Pelicans will stack up against the best of the best. New Orleans wraps up their preseason on Friday, October 18 against the New York Knicks.