NBA Rumors: Teams Have ‘Plenty Of Concerns’ About LaMelo Ball As Top Draft Prospect, Per Chad Ford
May 27, 2020
NBA Rumors: Teams Have ‘Plenty Of Concerns’ About LaMelo Ball As Top Draft Prospect, Per Chad Ford
Despite his long-standing status as a likely top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, it appears that several teams are wary about Illawarra Hawks guard LaMelo Ball’s chances of living up to his pre-draft hype.
As quoted by Hoops Hype, former ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford said on the latest edition of his NBA Big Board podcast that there are “plenty of concerns” among league executives regarding Ball, as he has a number of perceived weaknesses that could make him a risky draft prospect.
“He’s not an explosive athlete. He’s been a really streaky shooter with poor form on a shot. He struggled as an on-the-ball defender and he carries some of that baggage of the Ball name with him as well. And that certainly is working against him.”
Ford’s comments about the “baggage of the Ball name” are likely a reference to the combo guard’s father, LaVar Ball, who has had a history of making controversial comments about his basketball-playing sons, including LaMelo and his older brother, New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball. According to Bleacher Report, these include remarks made in March where he specifically said he “couldn’t be baggage” and suggested that his presence shouldn’t have any negative impact on LaMelo’s draft stock.
Regarding LaMelo Ball’s supposed weak points on the court, Bleacher Report noted that the 18-year-old mostly posted solid numbers while playing for Illawarra in Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), averaging 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals and sinking 1.7 three-point shots per game. He was, however, a spotty shooter, as he converted only 37.5 percent of his field-goal attempts and 25 percent of his shots beyond the arc.
Despite Ball’s decent steals-per-game average, the outlet highlighted his supposedly “mediocre” defense, adding that this, combined with his poor offensive efficiency, could “[put] him on a similar path” as his big brother Lonzo, a former No. 2 overall draft selection who struggled with the Los Angeles Lakers before enjoying a breakout season with the Pelicans in 2019-20.
Even with the purported concerns about his questionable shooting mechanics and defensive play, Bleacher Report predicted that Ball still has a very good chance of becoming a lottery pick in this year’s draft, with most signs pointing to him getting selected in the top five.
Ball isn’t the only potential high draft pick from the class of 2020 whose game has been questioned in recent weeks. Former Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman, who played only three collegiate games as a freshman before leaving school, has been described by some sources as someone who lacks competitiveness and “doesn’t play hard enough.”