LaMelo Ball made great strides during his time in Australia’s National Basketball League, and many believe he will now be a top five pick. Former NBA champion Andrew Bogut, who also played in the NBL, recently discussed Ball’s potential in the NBA.
Bogut was impressed with Ball’s game, but did acknowledge he needs to fine-tune his shot.
“I saw a little bit of him. He played really well against us one game. He has a great ability to get into the paint from the guard position, can handle the ball very, very well and I think his passing and playmaking is at an elite level already. Obviously, his jump shot, which has been talked about a lot, will determine on how well he goes in his career. I think it’s very inconsistent from three and it’s kind of a herky-jerky shot that he’ll probably have to fix much like his brother has. His brother is shooting the ball very, very well with New Orleans this season,” Bogut said, via 95.7 The Game with Damon, Ratto & Kolsky.
“So, I think his playmaking and the way he runs a team for a guy that young really stood out for me. The defense has to improve but I think that’ll change with coaching and development in a good NBA program. But he’s looking at a chance to be a No. 1 pick or a top-five, top-ten pick. It’s great for our league to know that he came over here and played and we hope he does very, very well in the NBA.”
LaMelo has been so impressive that one NBL executive believes there is no way the youngest Ball brother will be passed up with the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“I don’t see any way where LaMelo doesn’t go No. 1. He sees the floor better than anyone, and his passing and shooting is like nothing I’ve seen before,” the NBL executive told Yahoo Sports’ Krysten Peek.
His performance has been so impressive that Ball now finds himself as the top-rated prospect on the DraftExpress 2020 NBA Draft Board. Ball was initially slated as an early second-round pick but has since seen a steady rise up the rankings.
