LaMelo Ball may have begun his pre-draft work-out process after being spotted in New England on Wednesday. According to a piece from The Eagle-Tribune in North Andover, MA, Ball was seen at the Ritz hotel in Boston.
Ball went as far as to tell a passerby who stopped to talk with the 2020 NBA Draft prospect and ask for a picture that he was headed to a private workout at the Celtics facility.
The rules surrounding the dates prospects are allowed to take part in various aspects of the pre-draft process make it possible Ball is in Boston to meet with the Celtics. The latest update from The Athletic’s Shams Charania would indicate that Ball could be in town for medicals.
Sources: The NBA is planning for Draft Combine process beginning later this month with two parts:
– Mid-September to early October: In-market medicals and on-court; virtual interviews
– Mid-October to Draft date: In-person interviews; no workouts— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 11, 2020
The rules haven’t been clearly laid out and only on Tuesday was the draft date officially set. If Ball is in Boston to share medical information, it’s an interesting situation. In the past, top prospects have withheld such information as a way to force their way to one franchise or at least avoid going to specific franchises.
Boston hasn’t been a team mentioned with Ball due to being on the backend of the lottery. Boston does, though, own picks No. 14, 26 and 30 in the first round and certainly have the assets to move up for Ball if the franchise desired to do so.
Ball’s fit with the franchise would be an interesting. The team has brought in a host of draft picks in recent years but few have panned out since drafting Jayson Tatum. The current playoffs have shown the team is shallow on guards off the bench.
Whether any of that has played into their decision to potentially work out Ball is unknown. It could simply be due diligence on behalf of Boston. But the fact that Ball may have begun his pre-draft workouts and process is interesting as the draft sits almost exactly two months away.