For the first time in the pre-draft process, LaMelo Ball has reportedly met with individual teams outside of the NBA Draft Combine. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reported on Thursday that Ball had met with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Projected No. 1 pick LaMelo Ball met with the Minnesota Timberwolves, owners of the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, on Tuesday, a source told ESPN.
The meeting was simply an interview in California without any basketball workouts or activity taking place during it. Present for Minnesota was President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and head coach Ryan Saunders.
Notably, it was also the first meeting Ball has had with teams, according to Givony. Ball will also be meeting with the other teams in the top four of the NBA Draft.
He is tentatively scheduled to interview with the Golden State Warriors early next week, owners of the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft. The expectation is that he will also interview with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, who pick third and fourth.
During the NBA Draft Combine, Ball confirmed the only team he directly spoke with was the New York Knicks. Aside from that meeting and the reported meeting with the Timberwolves, Ball hasn’t spoken with any other team.
That flies in the face of a recent report from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer, who spoke during a radio interview that Ball was performing poorly in “job interviews.” While it’s an odd phrase to use in the context of the NBA and the draft, it’s also an odd phrase to use when, at the time of Bonnell’s interview, Ball had spoken with only two teams.
Nonetheless, Ball is ramping up his personal pre-draft process. While he is expected to interview with teams, it’s unclear if he will workout for said teams as well.