On Thursday, freshman center James Wiseman announced that he was
leaving the University of Memphis to prepare for the 2020 NBA Draft. Wiseman, the No. 1-ranked high school prospect in 2019, is currently projected by ESPN to go No. 3 overall in next year’s draft after Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, who’s projected to go No. 1 overall.
Wiseman’s decision to essentially take a gap year to prepare for the draft leaves NBA scouts with little to work with in terms of film, and while that could hurt his draft stock, history shows that prospects that are as highly touted as Wiseman seem to stay put. With that in mind, some have suggested that Ball does the same.
Ball is currently playing overseas in the NBL with the Illawarra Hawks, who hold the worst record in the Australian league at 15-4. Ball hasn’t appeared in a game for the Hawks since Dec. 8 after suffering a foot injury that will keep him sidelined for at least another two weeks.
With postseason seemingly out of the question for the Hawks, wouldn’t it make sense for Ball to leave Australia and prepare for the draft, too? It’s not that simple.
Unlike Wiseman, Ball is under contract with a basketball organization that pays him to play. If Ball committed to an entire season in the NBL, he’ll likely have to play through it, especially with the amount of attention and revenue Ball has drawn to the league in his brief time there. It’s worth noting that Ball has already said he plans on doing so.
Additionally, there’s a lot more competition at both guard positions at the top of the draft than there is at the center position. Ball’s former Chino Hills teammate, Onyeka Okongwu, has made his case as the best center in the draft, but the three inches Wiseman has over Okongwu is enough for scouts to still take the former Tiger first.
Barring a disastrous pre-draft process, Wiseman will be the first center to have his name called on draft night. The same can’t be said for Ball, who will be going up against UNC star Cole Anthony, his fellow NBL Rising Star RJ Hampton and Edwards.
Is there some benefit to Ball leaving the NBL to prepare for the draft? Sure, but not enough for him to actually do it. Expect Ball to play out his days in Australia.
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