Unlike years prior, no player has separated himself from the pack in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. The likes of James Wiseman, LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards remain most heavily in contention for the No. 1 pick but there has been no consensus option.
Each draft pick has both pros and cons to their games and projections as a future NBA player. With Ball, the on-court concerns weigh nearly as heavily as the off-court ones as well. In a piece for The Athletic on Thursday, Sam Vecenie talked about the race for the top pick and why Ball’s stock isn’t currently higher.
With Ball, there is a heavy worry about his efficiency and shot selection. There is also a widely held reticence to deal with his father LaVar after what the Lakers went through after selecting Lonzo.
The off-court concerns are the same things teams had to deal with when considering drafting Lonzo Ball. In the end, those reservations were outweighed by Ball’s potential on the court. Regardless of the talk about LaVar’s impact, the talent of the LaMelo far outweighs those risks.
LaVar’s off-court shenanigans are often overblown as well. While he’s prone to go on media blitzes from time to time, he is more often a silent observer from afar. It’s certainly not the norm but it’s often an exaggerated con when evaluating Ball and whether it is worthwhile to draft him with a top pick. It’s largely been a non-factor for Lonzo and the same will be said for LaMelo once he enters the league.
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