2020 NBA draft profile: International prospect LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball playing off the ball

When it comes to LaMelo Ball without the ball it’s a bizarre scenario. This is a real question, besides when he was 14 when he played off his brothers at Chino Hills, has LaMelo Ball ever been off-ball is his life playing basketball?

The answer to that is yes, for three games NBA veteran Aaron Brooks was the starting shooting guard for the Illawarra Hawks before tearing his Achilles tendon ending his season down under.

Besides that, LaMelo hasn’t been in a significant game or a team where he’s been an off guard, and isn’t that troubling if you’re the Timberwolves with D’Angelo Russell? or the Warriors with Curry and Thompson?

In the tiny sample size, it was as you may expect — he was lost and drifted into the high corners of the half-court waiting for the ball to be returned to him. At times he was cutting to the rim or screening for a teammate but mostly it looked like a pale gangly James Harden.

Speaking of James Harden, how is LaMelo Ball’s defense?

LaMelo Ball’s defense

There is high defensive potential for LaMelo Ball, he stands at 6’7”, with a 6’10” wingspan and is athletic enough to contest bigs when he jumps vertically — with foot speed and length to smother guards. This was broken down in more detail by ESPN’s Mike Schmitz, it was a more sympathetic approach when breaking down Ball’s defense — but I still do recommend watching.

Ball lead the league in steals last season at 1.7 per game, being a good thief (maybe he can teach Liangelo) doesn’t always mean you are a good defender – Allen Iverson (3x Steals leader) and Stephen Curry both lead the league but were never considered “defenders”

He’s excellent at reading passes from defenders and often sprints and the chance to grab it, normally leaving him loitering at half-court while his defender blows past him making it a 4v5 possession. Sometimes he actually gets the steal and it’s turned into a fastbreak — an easy flush or dime is the result, often being spectacular, but the gambling on steals was a huge issue for the Hawks defense.

Ball is prone to be lackadaisical or inattentive on defense, at times his eyes drift, and repeatedly ends up ball watching. Which has resulted in either a wide-open lane or an open shooter.

He has a lot to improve on when it comes to his fundaments on defense: man to man, running around screens, and contesting without fouling come to mind.

Despite that he has the stuff that can’t be taught, lurking in the passing lanes, the tip passes or rebounds and the high IQ reads on both steals and blocks.

LaMelo’s defense is one of the main red flags with his game when it comes to the NBA and his size should allow him to be switchable — but he’ll need the right coach and mindset to become a fundamentally sound defender.  ‘

With the good, the bad, and the inefficient out of the way – how should NBA teams see LaMelo Ball and how mock drafts see LaMelo Ball currently, and for the future.