4. LaMelo Ball, Point Guard
Current Team: Sydney Hawks (NBL, Australia)
By far the most polarizing prospect in this 2020 NBA Draft class is the brother of the former Los Angeles Lakers and current New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball. The 6-foot-7 skilled point guard LaMelo Ball is getting some discussion as the No. 1 prospect in this draft class. But we need to slow the roll on that level of draft hype for Ball.
The ball handling, defensive prowess, and facilitating abilities of LaMelo are going to be his biggest drawing points. A sub-25 percent three-point shooting percentage in the NBL at the moment is going to be the biggest concern. He’s also not the strongest or the best rebounder for his size. A player with the physical profile of Ball should be a triple-double machine. At least in theory.
As it is and was with his brother Lonzo, LaMelo’s shooting form and efficiency are big issues and might not be able to be completely fixed. The jump shot is a big looming concern and one that could very much hold Ball back in such a deep draft class at his position. Keep an eye on his progression in shot creation and efficiency.
On one hand, NBA teams can look at LaMelo and think that they could just trade for Lonzo and essentially get the same player. But on another note, LaMelo has much better length and is actually a more NBA ready prospect at this age than Lonzo was at the time. It will be intriguing to watch the progress of Ball in the NBL moving forward.