I see almost no way Lonzo Ball ends up a full out bust. His game is extremely well rounded and he impacts the game in every way on the offensive side of the ball. He's a really unique player. Jason Kidd really is the best comparison for him.
If you're wishing for him to be a bust, it ain't gonna happen. Now...is he enough to sell a shit load of gear, that remains to be seen.
I don't think so. But I admittedly don't know shit about this scene. I don't buy athletic gear and never really have on any large scale.
Based on the limited play I've seen from him, he doesn't strike me as a guy whose game is going to sell at a high level early on, if at all. I agree that he's as sure of a thing as we've seen in a while, but the 'all around' game isn't necessarily what companies and consumers look for.
The closest example of a guy with tons of type who lived up to it fairly well but hasn't had a ton of endorsement success is John Wall. Wall, like Ball, didn't have a game that produced a lot of "WOW" moments outside of athletic dunks, but those are a dime a dozen.
Kyrie has his crossovers, Curry has his crazy 3s, LeBron and Durant are just basketball gods, etc.
Ball, as a player at a saturated position without a very aesthetically pleasing game, is going to struggle to sell his brand as he toils away on a bad team for a few years, IMO.
Being a Laker or a Celtic would definitely help, but I'm not sure how much in this era where the Lakers are an afterthought to the Warriors and the irrational Celtics love seems to be trending downward.
Ball would have been better off taking the route of a guy like Kyrie who signed on with Nike, built his brand up a bit like things like Uncle Drew, and finally worked his way into a signature shoe, IMO.
I'm interested to see how it plays out.