Who to draft in the 2020 NBA Draft: LaMelo Ball or James Wiseman?
LaMelo Ball
Three drafts ago, Lonzo Ball — the oldest Ball brother — was arguably the most popular prospect since LeBron James. Yes, the hype was partially attributed to the outspoken LaVar Ball, but his play at UCLA still shined immensely.
This time around, LaVar has been quiet, allowing LaMelo Ball to showcase his skills on his own. And it’s paid off, especially after bouncing around over the past few years. Ball previously played for Vytautas Prienai–Birstonas in Lithuania, the Los Angeles Ballers in the Junior Basketball Association and Spire Institute.
Because of a bone bruise on his foot, Ball’s season has concluded and he will begin to recover ahead of the NBA Draft. His body of work is slim, but in the 12 games he’s played, Ball solidified himself as a top-three talent in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Ball, like his older brother Lonzo, has incredible game awareness and can orchestrate the offense through his creative passing and ball handling.
Additionally, he’s 6-foot-7 — great size for a point guard — but doesn’t sacrifice speed or quickness for height. His balance of size, speed and quickness works to his advantage when running the offense as he can not only see over smaller defenders but also blow by them.
In the 12 games Ball played in the NBL, he’s tallied some impressive counting stats — 17.0 points, 6.8 assist, 7.6 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. Ball was also the youngest player in NBL history to record a triple-double. He was being touted as an NBL MVP candidate early in the season, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (subscription required).
Not all is splendid in Ball’s game, though. Most noteworthy is his inefficient scoring, which has been a concern when playing in Lithuania and Australia. As a 17-year-old in the 2017-18 season, Ball shot 26.8 percent from the field and 25 percent from 3-point range in eight games with Vytautas Prienai–Birstonas.
This season in the NBL, his 3-point percentage is identical to that from 2017-18, but his field-goal percentage has improved to 37.7 percent.
The inefficiency is largely attributed to his poor shot selection. Ball often dances with the ball behind what would be the NBA 3-point line and heaves a shot towards the basket after multiple isolation dribbles. It not only proves to be sloppy play that leads to poor shooting numbers, but it also leaves Ball’s teammates standing around, taking them out of the game’s rhythm.
Ball’s inefficiency hasn’t always been an issue, though. In his senior year of high school at Spire Institute, he shot 55.3 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range for 21.8 PPG.
The inefficiency mostly persists against bigger and bulkier professional players, so if Ball had finished high school and went to college, he would have played against players his age — potentially leading to better shooting splits.
That’s not reality, though, but it’s worth contemplating what Ball’s shot selection and efficiency will look like once he adds more strength to his frame. Currently, he’s 180 pounds — 20 pounds lighter than the 6-foot-3 Russell Westbrook and five pounds lighter than the 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas.
Ball has an impressive layup package, but rarely gets to showcase his moves around the rim because he gets pushed around by the body builders protecting the paint.
Given some time to build muscle, Ball should feel more comfortable using his soft touch around the rim. He should also become a stronger defender. Lonzo, now a third-year player for the New Orleans Pelicans, has developed into a multi-position defender. Lonzo is 10 pounds heavier than LaMelo, but like his younger brother, he came into the NBA needing to add to his skinny frame.
Since rising to fame as a tiny freshman at Chino Hills, LaMelo Ball’s talent has been evident in his play. But with his NBL season over, his pre-NBA Draft basketball portfolio is completed. It’s now up to NBA teams to decide whether his playmaking brilliance outweighs his inefficiency concerns.