LaMelo Ball was believed to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft, but things look very different for him at this moment. The youngest Ball brother went to play in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks, increasing his stock for the upcoming draft. Yet, there are certain concerns about him and his reliability once he makes it to the league.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported that at least one scout is concerned about Lonzo’s jumper and his defense, the weakest part of his game. This is the same that happened with his brother Lonzo before he entered the draft, but that didn’t prevent the Lakers from picking him with the second overall pick.
There’s a strong case for the playmaking Ball as the best prospect in this class. He’s smart and skilled, with incredible vision and passing instincts. Even though one source described his shot as “broken” and another questioned his care level on defense, Ball has unique size that could allow him to play multiple positions. His skill set is different than Cleveland’s other guards, making the argument a bit more sturdy.
All these things can be fixed if he puts the effort it demands, but it’s not the first time we’ve seen this. Lonzo started working on his jumper this offseason and he’s gotten a lot better since then. That could be the case with Melo, as well. It’s the same with his defense; even James Harden has improved his defensive game and Ball is young, he has a long route to walk.
However, there are teams with little to no interest in drafting him, like the Warriors, but this guy has the talent to improve the offense of plenty of teams in the association. It remains to be seen how high or low he will get selected, more so after the NBA banned teams from in-person interviews with draft prospects.
