Despite recently listing LaMelo Ball at the top of his big board, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft for the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft slotted Ball third overall to the Chicago Bulls.
Vecenie notes that his mock draft is based more on what league sources are telling him versus how he feels about prospects. He also used a Tankathon simulation to set the draft order, leading to the Detroit Pistons landing the number one pick.
The Pistons selected Anthony Edwards with the top pick while the Charlotte Hornets took James Wiseman with the second pick. The Bulls then landed Ball with the third overall pick to pair with Coby White, who the team draft last year. Here’s Vecenie’s take on the selection:
“…I’m going with who I think would be the best fit for them, here. Ball makes the most sense. He’s my favorite player in the class. I know that the Bulls drafted Coby White last year, but I see the pairing as being complementary of one another as opposed to the team replacing White with Ball (which is something they wouldn’t want to do anyway, after White finished the season exceptionally well).”
Ball and White would certainly be an interesting pairing that, as Vecenie said, would complement one another. The question, though, would be how the pair also fit with Zach Lavine. Given the Bulls’ current situation, taking the best player available makes the most sense but it’s hard to envision a way all three can be on the court together.
It’s a pick that makes the most sense for the Bulls but would put Ball in an odd situation. He would almost certainly not be the day one started and would not have a clear path into the starting lineup. But there is any number of ways the draft can play out once it’s held with no prospect establishing himself as the clear cut number one..
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