Ahead of Thursday’s draft lottery, DraftExpress and ESPN’s Jonathan Givony posted his latest 2020 NBA mock draft. As has been the case for most of the last year, LaMelo Ball found himself near the top of the draft, this time landing No. 3 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Here’s Givony’s section on Ball landing with the Wolves:
A backcourt of Ball and D’Angelo Russell might be one of the worst defensive pairings in the league, but to speed up their rebuild, the Timberwolves need to continue to stockpile star power. No one in this draft class has more of that than Ball. His size makes him easy to pair with another guard, and teammates will love his tremendous passing creativity and the way he empowers others. Ball does not turn 19 until the end of August, leaving considerable room for him to improve his perimeter shooting and defense.
Ball and D’Angelo Russell would be likely the worst defensive backcourt, but they would also be one of the best offensive backcourts. Neither is considered an out-and-out point guard as both can play on and off the ball.
DraftExpress also listed to the draft ranges for each prospect. Despite some mock drafts having Ball going as low as No. 5, DraftExpress listed Ball’s range as first through third with Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman also in the same range.
Thursday’s draft lottery will dictate much of Ball’s landing spot but it appears he’s a lock to be one of the first names called in October’s draft.