NBA Draft: Is the LaMelo Ball hype warranted?

A lot of buzz is forming around LaMelo Ball as he begins his professional career in Australia’s NBL, but is the top pick hype warranted already?

The LaMelo Ball hype train is arriving just on time for the basketball world to hop on and take a ride.

If the Lonzo Ball sensation wasn’t enough for everyone, the buzz around the third Ball brother (we won’t speak about ‘Gelo) should be enough to satisfy any craving.

But the question has to be asked: just how much praise is Ball worth already?

Any discussion surrounding the 2020 NBA draft prospect is stemming from ESPN’s recent mock draft write-up from Jonathan Givony, who recently traveled to see Ball in person and speak with NBA scouts and personnel regarding his stock as well as to get info on a few other NBL hopefuls.

In the piece, Givony details accounts from those he spoke with regarding where Ball is now and where he could end up on draft boards toward the end of the season, with the belief that he’s a true contender for the first overall pick.

"“If he keeps this up, I don’t see any way he isn’t in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick,” one NBA executive told ESPN’s Givony. “He completely changed my perception of the type of prospect he is, and all of the background info I gathered here from his coaches and teammates paint a very different story of what I thought about him off the court as well.”"

While those are certainly kind words to be said about a player the basketball world is anxious to know more about, it’s important to keep his actual game and where he is now as a player in perspective.

Ball took over highlight reels in high school as a cherry-picking downtown gunner who loved to shoot the long ball and make flashy plays in transition similar to his older brother, who gets to bring those talents to the New Orleans Pelicans this upcoming year.

Shooting and passing are two incredibly valuable skills in today’s NBA, but there’s more to generating offense and leading a pro-level attack than the basic services that Ball provides.

If you watch and break down some of the film that’s already out there for Ball, he operates in a similar manner to Lonzo in terms of loving to either find the open man on the break or jack up jumpers from beyond the arc.

When either brother drives into the lane and takes an aggressive approach, their games really blossom. While LaMelo doesn’t have the same handle and shake that Lonzo does, he’s much bigger and stronger at this stage and can do some damage if he can get a step and get his man on his hip.

Finishing around the basket isn’t a concern for LaMelo, and shouldn’t be as he progresses to the next level. It’s a mindset that Ball needs to operate with more often to open up the floor as well as other opportunities for his teammates.

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At the end of the day, Ball isn’t Stephen Curry when it comes to converting on 3-point attempts. Finding different ways to make plays besides settling for long jump shots has to be a priority for Ball as he develops into a lead guard.

The comparisons in Givony’s article to a player like Luka Doncic are premature to say the least, given Doncic’s international resume and experience level. Ball is talented in his own right, but doesn’t have the same positional size, awareness and discipline.

Scouts in person seeing the Illawarra Hawks (LaMelo’s NBL club) would argue against those two last points given what they’ve started to see, but preseason basketball and practices can only tell and project so much. It’s important to give Ball enough time against real competition to see just exactly what he’s made of.

When you factor in his size, shooting and passing ability, Ball looks the part of a top-10 pick in the 2020 draft.

Athletic limitations as far as burst and quickness, as well as a lack in creativity with his handle and defensive intensity are the main concerns that will hold him back for the time being. Ball also needs to prove he’s a legitimate and consistent threat from deep given his preferred play style.

That being said, if everything breaks right for Ball and he generates offense at a high enough level for an international club looking to make noise in its own right, then Ball may look to shut it down and roll with his current projections as reported by ESPN.

There’s still plenty of time for other prospects, including his NBL partner RJ Hampton, to emerge as even better contenders for a top pick. Time will tell if Ball can hone in on his weaknesses and develop into a more complete lead guard as he looks to enter into the NBA.