Tag: 2020 NBA Draft

LaMelo Ball moves to top spot of DraftExpress 2020 NBA Draft board

LaMelo Ball has continued to ascend the 2020 NBA Draft boards and DraftExpress placed him atop their latest big board.

After high praise during the first months of the season, DraftExpress unveiled its latest 2020 NBA Draft big board with LaMelo Ball atop for the first time. Ball has steadily risen from a late second-round pick last year to top pick this year.

DraftExpress’ current projection for Ball is as a franchise point guard. While Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz discussed who should be the top pick with a wide open competition that includes James Wiseman of Memphis and Anthony Edwards of Georgia, the consensus opinion is Ball, at least for now.

While delivering lengthy glowing reports in the past, DraftExpress offered a more brief version of his strengths in the latest big board.

– Has elite size for a point guard at 6-foot-7. Controls the game from his unique vantage point with impressive creativity, flair, poise and instincts operating off a live dribble. Gifted ball handler who plays at different speeds and can make every pass with either hand, especially operating out of pick-and-roll. Throws 90-foot outlets, makes magical touch passes.
– Has a chance to be an adequate defender eventually due to his combination of terrific size, quick feet and instincts, particularly when he’s playing with energy. Already has some impressive moments at times rotating for steals and contesting shots around the basket. Excellent rebounder for a guard.
– Won’t turn 19 until well after the draft. Will be one of the youngest players picked in the first round. Might still be growing. Frame should continue to evolve into his 20s.

Much of Ball’s positives focus on his potential due to his size and youth. He has a high IQ, the length to be a lead guard and the youth to still grow into his body as it continues to grow.

The negatives, meanwhile, deal with some of his inconsistencies on the offensive end.

– Has struggled to score efficiently throughout his career. Currently shooting 44% from 2-point range and 18% from 3. Shoots jumpers with unorthodox mechanics, including a two-handed release while kicking his legs out. The touch he shows on floaters and career 84% free throw percentage leaves room for optimism, but his inability to buy a basket at times this season has been discouraging.
– Lacks a degree of high-end explosiveness creating offense from a standstill and beating opponents off the dribble. Doesn’t have the strength to finish what he does create around the basket. Relies on a lot of tough floaters and other high degree of difficulty attempts inside the arc. Might not ever be a guy who goes and gets you a bucket in a pinch. Much more effective when he can move the defense and create for others.
– Indifferent defender for much of his career. Still reverts back to that frequently, especially off the ball, where he falls asleep regularly. Struggles to get over screens due to his lack of strength. Has been maligned at times for his work ethic and level of focus on and off the floor.

Ball will certainly have lots of questions about his game as he comes into the 2020 NBA Draft. But he’s also coming into his own in Australia with Illawarra and answering many of those questions as the season continues.

He’s closed the gap at the top of the NBA Draft and now could put some distance between himself and the rest of the field if he continues his strong play.

Report: NBA teams question LaMelo Ball’s work ethic, reluctant to hand keys to franchise over

While LaMelo Ball has found success carrying a franchise in the NBL this season, NBA teams are reportedly still holding reservations.

On the court, LaMelo Ball has proven that he is arguably the most talented prospect in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. His talent has been on full display in recent weeks for Illawarra, capped off with his triple-double against the Taipans last week.

An area in which there are still many questions, though, comes off the court. While the attachment to his father, LaVar, will always hang over him, it’s not the only area scouts and general managers have hesitations. In a piece on Sunday in which DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz discussed which prospect should top the 2020 NBA Draft big board, Givony talked about NBA teams being uncertain about whether they can trust Ball to lead the franchise.

However, I believe that if the draft were held today, (Ball) probably would not be the No. 1 pick. Of course, that will heavily depend on the team that ends up winning the May lottery. But both Schmitz and I have just received a significant amount of blowback from NBA teams who say that they simply don’t trust Ball enough to hand him the keys to their franchise. They worry about what all the attention around him will do to their team culture, how strong his work ethic is and whether his father, LaVar, could become a distraction.

The idea that Ball wouldn’t be able to lead an NBA franchise feels rather unfounded. After a bit of a learning curve, Illawarra handed the keys to its franchise in the wake of Aaron Brooks’ season-ending Achilles injury.

The results have been wholly positive for the Hawks. Ball has helped revitalize the team and has powered the team to a pair of wins over Cairns. While the NBL certainly isn’t the NBA, it is a blueprint for how putting Ball in a position to succeed can lead to a bright future for a franchise.

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LaMelo Ball defends shot selection: ‘I practice those shots’

LaMelo Ball says his coaches don’t have a problem with his shot selection, so he doesn’t either.

LaMelo Ball is one of the intriguing 2020 NBA Draft prospects in part because of his potential as a three-level scorer at 6’7. However, as gifted as a scorer as Ball has shown he can be, his shot selection is still a work in progress.

In 2016, Ball went viral because he pulled from half court during the middle of his game with Chino Hills High School and it went it. The shot clock wasn’t winding down, he didn’t have to throw up a shot from half court — he just did. Now 18 years old and a point guard for the Illawarra Hawks, that confidence hasn’t wavered, arguably to his detriment.

Through 10 games with the Hawks, Ball is averaging 14.7 points per game on 35% shooting from the field. While his lowly shooting percentage has a bit to do with the physical maturity of the player he’s going up against the NBL, his shot selection has also played a big role.

But during a film breakdown with Mike Schmitz of ESPN, Ball defended his sporadic shot selection, saying that his coach supports the shots he’s taking because he practices them.

“You know, they believe in me,” Ball told Schmitz. “Coach says, pretty much, ‘You feel like you can make it, shoot it.’ And, you know, in practice I make these and they know I practice this shot, so it’s not like I’m not practicing shooting them. That would be a different story. I understand that if I don’t practice none of that and then shoot it, that would be, like, wrong.”

Since Stephen Curry’s rise to prominence in 2014, everyone wants to shoot from the logo. In fact, we’re just now seeing the “Curry generation” of point guards enter the NBA with players like Trae Young.

The difference between Young and Ball, though, is that Young shot 36% on his 3-point attempts during his lone season at Oklahoma. Ball is shooting an abysmal 24.2%.

That’s not to say Ball shouldn’t continue to practice deep 3-balls, but it probably shouldn’t be one of his go-to shots in a competitive game — at least not right now.

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Shawn Marion thinks LaMelo Ball could average triple-double in NBA

NBA champion and New Zealand Breakers part-owner Shawn Marion has high hopes for 2020 NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball.

Shawn Marion is an NBA champion who made the All-Star game four times and led the league in steals twice over the course of his 16-year career. He is also part-owner of the NBL’s New Zealand Breakers and, as a result, he’s seen LaMelo Ball play a good amount this year.

The Breakers, headlined by projected lottery pick RJ Hampton, played Ball’s Illawarra Hawks earlier this year and beat them 103-72. Ball didn’t stuff the box score like he has in more recent games, but he still showed enough to leave Marion impressed.

In a recent interview on “The Full 48 with Howard Beck,” Marion praised Ball’s unique combination of size, speed and playmaking ability, and made a bold prediction about the 18-year-old point guard’s NBA future:

“There ain’t many guys that have that ability … LaMelo, the way he passes the ball and as big as he is, he has the ability to come in and average a triple-double. I’m not saying he’s going to average 20-something-points per game, but he can probably do 10, 10 and 10, you know what I’ms saying? With no problem.

“We saying it like it’s easy — it’s not easy. But you can see the potential in him and what he has because of his ability.”

To say “it’s not easy” is a gross understatement. Only two players — Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson — have averaged a triple-double over the course of the 82-game regular season. Ball is talented, for sure, but he’s shown nothing to suggest he’s at the level of a top-20 all-time point guard.

However, it’s not hard to imagine Ball getting close to averaging a triple-double. After all, his oldest brother Lonzo averaged 10.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.9 rebounds in his rookie season. If LaMelo is truly better than Lonzo, he’ll be able to match those averages in his rookie season.

Unfortunately, LaMelo will have to wait another year to prove Marion right. Until then, he’ll continue to fill up the box score with the Hawks in the NBL.

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Face-to-face meeting between front office, LaMelo Ball led to Illawarra signing

A recent piece on LaMelo Ball’s signing with the Illawarra Hawks revealed the details of a face-to-face meeting between Ball and the team.

LaMelo Ball’s signing with National Basketball League side Illawarra was forecasted, at least in some capacity, many weeks in advance. All signs from the Ball camp pointed to LaMelo signing with either an Australian side or a Chinese side.

While Australia was always an option, Illawarra was not. Hawks owner Simon Stratford had to be convinced of bringing in Ball. Part of the convincing process, though, involved a cross-country flight to meet with Ball face-to-face.

In a recent profile on Ball in the Daily Telegraph in Australia, the recruiting process for Ball and the Hawks was made known. Along with general manager Mat Campbell and head coach Matt Flinn, Stratford made the 17-hour flight to Las Vegas to meet with Ball. The one-hour meeting with Ball and handler and mentor Jermaine Jackson.

In the meeting, the two sides talked about their respective goals and future plans and whether the plans overlapped. Stratford detailed the Hawks’ plan and pitch to Ball in the piece.

“LaMelo’s goal was to become No. 1 in the NBA draft, so we wanted to help him but there would be no preferential treatment,” Stratford said. “I wanted him to buy in to the team mentality. He isn’t just an individual and it isn’t only about him. We haven’t employed him to go, ‘This is the LaMelo Ball show.’ You are going to be expected to work and train hard. There will be no doing your own thing and showing up late.

LaMelo was awesome and from our meeting he changed my mind. He proved to me he was someone that I wanted around the club.”

Clearly, the move has paid off for both sides. Ball has been a huge success for Illawarra on and off the court. While the Hawks sit at the bottom of the table in the league, Ball has been the bright spot and the MVP of the team this season.

Ball has further strengthened his case for being the No. 1 pick this season while buying into the team mentality that Stratford mentioned while Illawarra has become a far more mentioned name in the basketball world this season. In all, it’s been a clear win-win for both sides.

Luka Doncic and Ja Morant may provide perspective for Warriors future

Playing against Luka Docic, Ja Morant and Trae Young will give the Golden State Warriors a glimpse of what having a modern lottery pick could look like.

Over the past five seasons, the Golden State Warriors have been a team focused on the now. But without star power filling the void of injured players and one of the worst records in the NBA, it’s time to look to the future.

The Dubs have a few interesting young pieces, but that’s where it ends— a few. Eric Paschall, Ky Bowman and Omari Spellman all have flashed promise at times. But none were blue-chip prospects built to lead the Warriors into the future.

Over recent NBA drafts, there’s been an influx of exciting youngsters bursting into the league. The players available at the top of the NBA draft haven’t garnered much attention in the Bay Area because most fans were focused on Golden State playing deep into the postseason.

With the Warriors currently scheduled to be at the top of the NBA draft lottery, teams with young talent might provide some perspective.

When teams like the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers popped up on the schedule, Warriors fans were excited. Now, teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies (whom the Warriors will play over the next month) could give fans a glimpse at what having a modern lottery pick will look like.

On the current road trip, the Warriors already played the New Orleans Pelicans, who spent the first overall pick in 2019 on Zion Williamson out of Duke. Due to injury, Williamson hasn’t made his debut yet, but that doesn’t mean the Dubs won’t get a shot at a top pick soon.

The Warriors head to Dallas to face phenom Luka Doncic. The Slovenian isn’t only one of the league’s most talented youngsters, he’s one of the league’s most exciting players overall. The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 30.6 points, 10.3 assists and 11.6 rebounds per game in November. What doesn’t show on the stat sheet is how Doncic controls the game for the Mavs. He’s a true court general with the swagger that looks like he’s going to cause problems in the Western Conference for years to come.

After Doncic, the Warriors will get a taste of the favorite for the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year award: Ja Morant, another impressive point guard who is leading Memphis into a new era of “grit and grind.” Similar to Doncic, Morant’s feel for the game is that of a veteran. He has the confidence and swagger of a veteran. If you doubt him, he’ll make you pay.

Over the next 10 games, the Warriors will get to see a bevy of recent lottery picks, also including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyler Herro, Coby White, Lauri Markkanen, Markelle Fultz, PJ Washington, Malik Monk and, for the grand finale, Trae Young. All players picked in the top 13 with the average age of 20.5, Markkanen is the old man of the group, at 22. Paschall, Bowman and Spellman are all 22 or older, with Jordan Poole the only Warrior under 21.

As exciting as it is to play against All-Stars like LeBron James, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it’s important to gauge the type of talent the Warriors could be getting in the June draft. If Golden State’s season finishes on its current trajectory, the Warriors will have a chance to acquire a talent similar to Doncic, Morant or Young.

LaMelo Ball is confident he’ll be No. 1 pick in 2020 NBA Draft

The 2020 NBA Draft is still eight months away, but LaMelo Ball thinks the debate for who the No. 1 pick should be is already settled.

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The Illawarra Hawks have struggled mightily to start the season — going 2-7 through nine games — but they finally caught a break on Saturday thanks to their Rising Star LaMelo Ball.

On Saturday, Ball scored a season-high 24 points on 9-21 shooting from the field, including 5-11 shooting from 3-point range, to lead the Hawks to their second win of the season. He also contributed nine assists, seven rebounds, and three assists. It took longer than the struggling Hawks would have liked, but Ball finally had his breakout game.

Following the Hawks’ 101-91 over the Cairns Taipans, Ball took part in his first walk-off interview of the NBL season, and he made it a memorable one despite saying few words. When Ball was asked if he thought he was the worthy of being the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, he didn’t hesitate to answer:

ESPN has Ball projected to go No. 3 overall behind Georgia Bulldogs guard Anthony Edwards and Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman, but a lot can change between now and the 2020 NBA Draft in June. Edwards, Wiseman and Cole Anthony may have more success with their respective teams than Ball has had so far, but the things Ball has been able to do against professional basketball players that are grown men shouldn’t be ignored, either.

We’ll get a better idea of how Ball stacks up against the elite college prospects as the NCAA progresses, but right now, he makes as good a case as any of them for the No. 1 pick, and he knows it.

A composite overview of the Celtics’ 2020 NBA Draft projections

The Boston Celtics could have three first-round picks in the 2020 NBA Draft.

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While it’s never too early to think about the future, it might be a little bit early to start projecting the 2020 NBA Draft.

That hasn’t stopped at least ten intrepid attempts to divine just what NCAA and international prospects will end up come summer, even considering the fact many have hardly played more than a handful of games at their current level and a few none at all.

With as many as three possible first-round selections at their disposal in a deep if not especially eye-popping draft class, where are these analysts projecting the Boston Celtics to have interest?

CelticsWire assembled ten different early projections of the coming NBA Draft to try and answer that question despite the many months between this moment and the actual night of the event.

Drawing on the mock drafts of The Athletic, Bleacher Report, ESPN, Forbes, NBA Draft.net, Rookie Wire, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, Stadium and Tankathon, we’ve assembled a composite overview to help you get an idea of some of the prospects to keep an eye on as their respective seasons unfold.

Controlling the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round selection should it fall outside of the top-six protection it has this season (it will become entirely unprotected next season should it not convey this year), the Milwaukee Bucks’ unprotected first-rounder, as well as their own selection, Boston could add even more young talent to help fill out an increasingly expensive roster.

The Celtics could also package the picks to move into the low lottery to snatch up a high-value player.

It’s important to note that each of these individual projections were recently produced at different times with different methodologies, so their interpretations should be taken with a grain of salt given just how much things can change between now and when players actually hear their names called.

The bad news for fans of Boston is nearly all analysts noted in this article assume the Memphis pick will not convey, meaning moving up for a low lottery pick is likely off the table for the Celtics.

The good news is that the combination of recently-flattened NBA Draft Lottery odds, and lack of actual performance to base both draft prospects and team order on means the range of possible outcomes is still about as wide as things like draft protection and realistic outcomes can allow.

That being said, the range of players projected to be taken with picks under Boston’s control varies considerably as one might expect this early in the basketball year, but there are a few interesting overlaps worth a closer look.

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Matt Flinn shoots down rumors of early NBL exit for LaMelo Ball

With questions circulating about LaMelo Ball’s future with the club, Matt Flinn addressed the matters on Saturday following the Hawks’ win.

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Last week, questions began circulating about LaMelo Ball’s future with the Illawarra Hawks. Starting with a fairly innocuous statement made during a TV show, the reports swirled about whether Ball would stay with a struggling Illawarra side even through Christmas.

While the reports never had any true legs, Hawks head coach Matt Flinn was forced to address the matter in his post-game press conference after Saturday’s win over Cairns.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s contracted for the season. He’s buying in like every other player we’ve got. I hear speculation but we just treat it day by day. You saw a guy tonight who’s really invested in his team. If you go down and sit in the locker room, you’ll see a kid who is really invested in his teammates. I can’t really comment on that.”

The belief is that, with the Hawks struggling mightily this season and Ball’s draft status set in stone, the risk of an injury could outweigh the benefits of hanging around in Australia for the rest of a lost season. Ball has drawn plenty of praise from DraftExpress in his short time in the National Basketball League.

The counter-argument would be that Ball is still growing as a player and, while his draft status may be more certain, he’s still a player learning while on the court. Ball started slow this regular season but has come on in recent contests, highlighted by his best outing of the season against the Taipans.

Even more, the perception of Ball would take another big hit if he bailed on the first true professional league he’s played in and the first true team environment he’s been apart of. While all the reports of Ball have been glowing, like in the quote above, having him leave halfway through the season would certainly be a public relations hit.

In the end, it’d be surprising if Ball left Illawarra prior to the end of the season. While the season has been a rough one for the team, Ball has been nothing but committed to the Hawsk the season from the outside looking in.

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