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Depending on which mock draft you buy into, it likely won’t take too long before you see LaMelo Ball as the 18-year-old is projected to be a first-round pick.
Given his array of offensive skills, Ball has the potential to be a star in the NBA but his game isn’t universally loved. He still has plenty of room to grow on the defensive end of the floor and his jump shot was anything but consistent last year in the National Basketball League.
Teams around the NBA are mixed on his future, including the Atlanta Hawks. The team posted the fourth-worst record in the NBA and will have a 12.5% chance to land the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery so they project to be in the mix for Ball.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, some within the Hawks organization believe Ball is the best prospect in the draft while others are not sold on his game.
There are some folks inside the organization who firmly believe Ball is the best prospect in this draft class, and it’s not close, and there are others who are against taking him because of the fit with Young. Particularly, the defensive end of the floor scares them because they aren’t good on that end. From what I’ve heard, he’s not a total cross off for the Hawks, but a lot more evaluation and talks are going to have to happen to get everyone in agreement for him to be the choice.
Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said in June that the team would not rule out selecting a player like Ball, even though the organization has Trae Young as its starting point guard. Instead, the Hawks will try to select the best player available and not solely off of positional need.
The potential of pairing Ball next to Young would certainly be intriguing on the offensive end, with glaring needs defensively. The Hawks won’t rule anything out though the idea of adding Ball would certainly make Atlanta among the most entertaining teams in the league.
Related: 2020 NBA Draft Big Board 3.0: Updated Top 100 now that class is set
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