On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers made Lonzo Ball their No. 2 draft pick, sending L.A. fans into a frenzy. It also gave the media more sound bites from Lonzo's dad, LaVar Ball, who made a proclamation that his son will take the Lakers to the NBA Playoffs in his rookie year. Just recently, Vegas odds were released for the team's chances to do so, and it seems there's a high chance they'll miss out on the postseason again.

What are Lakers' chances?

In an ESPN report, it was noted that Westgate Las Vegas Superbook released odds for the question of "Will the Lakers make the playoffs?" It's not surprising that the answer "No" comes with strong odds carrying a moneyline price of -700.

To win $100, a bettor would have to place $700 on that option. For the "Yes" choice, it's a +500 moneyline price, meaning a bettor could win $500 on a $100 bet.

Despite a strong early start to the season, the Los Angeles Lakers finished out their most recent campaign with a record of 26-56, which was fourth in the Pacific Division. That gave them the second-to-last record in the Western Conference and the third-worst overall record in the league behind only Brooklyn and Phoenix.

Two other teams that missed last year's playoffs but may have won big on draft night were the Philadelphia Sixers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Philly grabbed their second-straight No. 1 pick, adding Markelle Fultz to their young roster.

Minnesota made a big trade to bring the Bulls' Jimmy Butler to the team. Both teams have odds to make the postseason this season, with Minnesota at -260 and Philly at -125 moneyline prices to make the playoffs.

Will Lonzo lead the way?

It's definitely an exciting time to be a Lakers fan as the selection of Lonzo Ball coupled with a recent trade has things looking up for the franchise.

Ball was considered one of the top prospects in the latest draft and is unlike others in that he'll look to find open teammates and make the key plays. Therefore, his dad's bold claim isn't too far-fetched, especially since his previous claim that his son would be a member of the L.A. Lakers also came true.

That said, there's still work to be done, and growing pains that Lonzo may have to go through in his early career.

However, the team recently traded away previous point guard D'Angelo Russell to make way for their future star. They've brought in an experienced big man in Brooke Lopez, and seem to be clearing the salary space to bring in one or two established stars after this season.

So while LaVar Ball's claim will be fun to keep an eye on this season, he may have been better off saving it for the 2018-19 NBA season when the Los Angeles Lakers might have a guy named Paul George wearing purple and gold.
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