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And I feel the way the game is played means a lot to him and me. Ball, after just one season with the Bruins, is vying with Washington's Markelle Fultz, Kansas' Josh Jackson and Duke's Jayson Tatum to be the top overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft, but also has a chance to become Johnson's first selection as Los Angeles Lakers president of basketball operations. Ball was sitting inside his suburban Southern California home recently with framed pictures of him holding trophies in high school and college on the white walls.