LaMelo Ball Isn’t A Top-Three NBA Draft Pick Just Yet
ESPN recently posted a 2020 NBA Mock Draft. The most surprising placement was that of LaMelo Ball at three. That’s nothing more than clickbait. Ball is not a top-three player in the 2020 Draft. At least, not yet.
Everyone has an obsession with the Ball family. Their outspoken father, Lavar, is the catalyst for that. He’s been hyping his kids up for years. Lonzo has already had success in the NBA. LaMelo might actually be the better scorer. That doesn’t mean he’s the better player, nor does it mean he’s lottery selection worthy.
LaMelo Ball isn’t a very effective scorer. Look at some his numbers from his “professional” games. In the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a league Lavar created, Ball scored 40 points. He did so on 40 shots. Let’s face it, he’s not getting those shots in the NBA. There’s no way the scoring in leagues that are catered to him will carry over to the NBA.
Give LaMelo credit, he was a triple double machine in the JBA. Again, the JBA isn’t what you would call a league catered to anyone but Ball. He’s not really a team player. Think of the amount of time he had the ball in his hands. You’re taking 40 shots and dishing out 10+ assists, that’s a lot of time for Ball to maintain the rock. Again, not happening in the NBA.
We pick on Russell Westbrook for being a bit of a ball hog and stat-padder, although, LaMelo takes things to another level. Currently playing in Australia, Ball will get drafted into the NBA just on name value. He’ll probably be drafted top-three for the same reason. That’s a damn shame.
We know why ESPN has made LaMelo a top-three pick. He had a fantastic showing at the NBL showcase in Australia. Apparently he’s been good enough to warrant this selection. Let’s see what the next 8 months have in store before we make any claims about Ball indeed being a top NBA draft choice. Perhaps Australia will be good for him and he’ll develop into a legit NBA talent.
Taking nothing away from LaMelo Ball, he’s talented, no questions there. He’s not worthy of a top 3 pick, though, not with a loaded PG class. There might not be a more polarizing and outspoken (again, thanks to his father) player in 2020. Ball might be a franchise player, however, he probably wouldn’t be if his NBA career started today.
There’s still a lot of time between now and the NBA Draft. LaMelo needs to prove a lot more before he gets selected in the lottery. His reputation will follow him. The only way to shed it is have a good showing in Australia and pre-draft workouts. If he does, perhaps then he’ll be able to live up to this hype surrounding him.
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Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
