2. LaMelo Ball, Point Guard
The name that everyone is going to want to mention that has superstar potential in the 2020 NBA Draft class is the brother of New Orleans Pelicans and former UCLA Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball. The 6-foot-7 and 185 pound NBL product LaMelo Ball spent less than one full season overseas with the Illawarra Hawks in Australia.
Before a season-ending injury in his inaugural season in the NBL would cause him to come back to the United States early in his draft scouting process, Ball was having a solid season in Australia. He played in a dozen games with Illawarra while averaging 17.0 points per game, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals, while shooting 37.5 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 72.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Obviously Ball has to improve his shooting stroke, but that was the same narrative that his brother had to fulfill once he first reached the NBA level with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lonzo finally got things right with the Pelicans, and his three-point shooting is much improved (up to 38.3 percent from downtown this season).
LaMelo could be a very special two-way point guard right away. He has better length and bounce in his game than Lonzo does, but the questions with his shooting ability will remain until that changes at the NBA level. That’s the risk that teams are going to have to take with LaMelo come the start of draft night 2020.