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As the pre-draft process continues on in the early stages leading up to the 2020 NBA Draft, LaMelo Ball is quickly trending in the wrong direction. A report from Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer started the rough week for Ball with a report that Ball had not performed well in “job interviews.”
While that report was somewhat contradicted by Jonathan Givony from DraftExpress indicating that Ball had met with just one team in the pre-draft process to-date. However, the damage has been done as Ball is quickly trending downward.
Friday, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor and Chris Vernon discussed Ball on The Mismatch podcast. O’Connor revealed further that Ball is not only trending downward but could fall nearly out of the top ten in the upcoming draft.
“I had a phone call earlier today with somebody who works in the league for a team and he and I talked a lot about LaMelo. There are a lot of people who wonder if he could fall outside the top five. Rick Bonnell, a Hornets writer, reported today that he hadn’t done well in interviews. I’m not sure what to make of that report but I’ve heard similar, that he hasn’t done great in these interviews and workouts and all that.
So, LaMelo, as talented as he is, some teams are looking at this situation as ‘Maybe it’s best to hit a single or hit a double rather than swing for the fences and possibly whiff.’ And with LaMelo, there’s that threat for him more than there is for some other guys in that top-10 conversation. With LaMelo, it would not shock me and it should shock nobody if he goes one or he goes eight. It could happen with him.”
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Ball falls out of the top three, let alone out of the top five and to the eighth pick. O’Connor’s presented scenario if Ball falls past the top three requires a lot of things to happen.
Chicago, a team that O’Connor himself said is looking for a lead playmaker, would have to pass on Ball. Cleveland is another team that has maintained an interest in Ball over the last year. Atlanta is a side that is reportedly “high” on Ball even if his fit with Trae Young isn’t great. Detroit is a side that hasn’t had a ton of links to Ball but would certainly see him as a terrific fit to their team.
That would be three teams that have varying levels of interest in Ball passing on a slipping prospect, and that’s only if he falls out of the top three and another team doesn’t trade up for him when they notice him starting to slip. It’s a long, long list of things that would have to happen for Ball to fall that far, but the fact it’s now a conversation is not great for Ball.
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