Even if the wait was a little longer than expected, the excitement was all the same for LaMelo Ball on Wednesday. He was not the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, despite feeling born to shoulder that pressure. Golden State surprised few by nabbing James Wiseman with the No. 2 pick.
Then, with the No. 3 pick, the Charlotte Hornets selected Ball to usher them into a new era of positionless basketball.
“We’re happy, very happy, LaMelo Ball was there when we were drafting No. 3,” Hornets general manager and president of basketball operations Mitch Kupchak said. “He’s a very young, talented player who plays the kind of pace that we like to play.
“We drafted him because of his size, his length, the way he can handle the ball, the way he pushes the ball. Obviously, at 19 years old, we feel there is a lot of upside there so we’re very excited,” he added.” Now, he is 19 and he’s going to come onto a team where there are players who have NBA experience and we’re hopeful that he works hard and earns any minutes that he gets this year.
“If he does that and if he loves the game as much as we think he loves the game, we feel like he has the chance to be a heck of a player in this league for a long time.”
The excitement was palpable from Ball, who made history along with his brother Lonzo on Wednesday as the first brothers drafted in the top five in NBA history. Even if he wasn’t the No. 1 pick, Ball was never worried about slipping in the draft or where he would end up.
“I’m definitely excited,” he said. “I’m just letting it all hit me right now. But like I said, I’m ready to play. I’m definitely ready to…lace them up, for real.
“It definitely feels great falling to (the Hornets) but the falling down (the draft), I never looked at it like that because, like I say, whatever happens happens and I feel like it’s God’s plan. Wherever he wanted to put me, that’s where he put me and I feel like he’s going to let me blossom here.”
The only person with more excitement for the selection on the night was Hornets head coach James Borrego.
“We love the pick,” he said. “We studied him a tremendous amount. I got to see him last week in LA. Just a high level kid. First of all, top-tier playmaker with size, versatile, can make plays for others. To me, what the league is nowadays is playmakers. At the guard spot, at the wing spot, guys that can make plays for others, make the right play and he makes it look effortless.
“He’s a hell of a talent. I’m thrilled to have him and I think he fits our style of play. We couldn’t be happier. I think it’s a heck of a pick for our franchise, our organization and our city. I couldn’t be more happy.”
The Hornets aren’t necessarily the ready-made suitor for Ball with a hole he can step into. With guards Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham already on the roster, Borrego admitted he and his staff would have their hands full in finding a way to get them all on the court. But Ball’s size and versatility was a constant talking point as a way to make the fit work.
“He’s a guy that can rebound at his position,” Borrego said. “He’s got size. He’s a great outlet guy. He can bring it on his own. He sees the floor. His kick-ahead game is elite. He’s going to start a number of our fastbreaks.
“The ball’s going to be in all our guy’s hands. It’s not just going to be in LaMelo’s hands. It’s going to be in Devonte’s, Terry’s, Miles (Bridge’s), PJ (Washington’s). This is an offense where the ball’s moving. He’s an elite ball-mover. He wants to share the ball, move the ball. Nothing’s going to change. He’s just going to be playmaking for other people and the shot’s going to be fine.”
“Looking at today’s game, there’s a strong argument that the way we played this game 30 years ago is not the way we play this game today and you can literally have three ball-handling guards (on the court) and LaMelo is 6’6”,” Kupchak added. “You can look at him as a point wing perhaps.
“Once again, I don’t think there’ll be any problem. You might see out on the court next year and see five players under 6’7” on the court at the same time.”
Positionless was the word thrown out over and over from Borrego. His focus on getting as many playmakers on the floor as he can was paramount. And regardless if Ball is labeled a point guard, point wing or point forward, he is ready to get on the court.
“I feel like I fit anywhere real good and definitely the point forward, I feel like it could work because it’s definitely positionless basketball now,” Ball said. “You can just get it and go.”
Charlotte’s pass-heavy offense ranked fourth in the league with 307.6 passer per game. Despite that, the team ranked just outside the bottom 10 in assists and potential assists. As potentially the top playmaker in the draft, Ball was tailor-made to slot directly into Borrego’s system.
Borrego doesn’t anticipate simply handing Ball the keys to the offense, though. Instead, he expects Ball to adapt to how the Hornets play.
“I expect him to cut on the weak side,” he said. “He’s going to come off pin downs and handoffs. He’s not just going to be standing in the corner waiting for someone to pass him the ball. Our style of play a lot last year and as we head into the next year is very positionless. I like him off the ball. He’s going to receive pindown (screens), (dribble handoffs), he’s going to be cutting on the weak side, he’s going to be a screener sometimes, he’s going to be handle sometimes.
“You want playmakers on the floor. In today’s game, the elite teams, the best teams have multiple playmakers on the floor, multiple ballhandlers, multiple shooters,” Borrego added. “We have just added some depth to our playmaking, shot-making, shot creation and that’s where the league’s at.”
Whatever challenges may be ahead of him in Charlotte, the ever-calm Ball is ready to tackle them head on with the same bravado and style that made him the No. 3 pick on Wednesday.
“I just go out there and play basketball. I feel like I was born to do this.”