LaMelo Ball
Updated as of 11/21/2020, scouting report written by Alan Lu.
2020 rankings were finalized as of 11/17/20.
Height: 6-7
Weight: 185
Country: United States (Chino Hills, CA)
Professional Team: Illawarra
Classification: Non-College U.S. Draft Prospect
Birthdate: 8/22/2001
2020 Top 100 Prospect Rank: 3
Projected Draft Range: Top 5
2020 NBA Draft: Round 1, Pick 3 by the Charlotte Hornets
Pros:
Fairly good scorer off the dribble
Excels at scoring on the move
Gifted playmaker
Very good rebounder
Adept at collecting steals
Smart player that has a good feel for the game
Good athlete
Versatile player that can play multiple positions
Cons:
Needs to improve his shooting
Struggles to score in traffic
Prone to hoisting up questionable shots
Can play too wildly on offense
Needs to improve his position defense
Potential character risk, has had work ethic issues in the past
Missed considerable time due to a foot injury
Summary:
LaMelo Ball is an athletic, skilled point guard that projects to be a likely top 5 pick in 2020. He’s an exceptional playmaker that possesses a good feel for the game, and he is a creative passer that has strong court vision to find teammates to rack up assists.
Ball is also a gifted shot creator that can create shots for himself and others, and he also can knock down plenty of long-range jumpers off the dribble, as the latter could make him a tantalizing prospect. Ball also is active, rangy help defender that can get steals on that end of the floor. He was a consistent triple-double threat, and his ability to fill up the box scores combined with his strong playmaking skills enabled him to be the NBL’s Rookie of the Year this season.
However, he struggled to consistently shoot well in the NBL, and he was prone to having prolonged shooting slumps in games. He also can tend to be too unfocused on the defensive end, and there are times where he doesn’t seem to always give great effort on that end.
Still, there’s no doubt that he is a very talented prospect. Though he only played 12 games before suffering a foot injury and ended up being shut down for the season, Ball impressed many NBA people with his strong play in the NBL. There are some that feel that he may be the best player in this draft, and he is a high upside prospect that has the talent to be an All-Star in the NBA.
Links:
USA Today’s Article on Lithuanian coach criticizing LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball’s Work Ethic
USA Today’s Article on LaMelo’s Odd JBA Statistical Profile
Bleacher Report’s Article on Ball’s Foot Injury in the NBL
The Knicks Wall’s Profile on LaMelo Ball
Games Scouted:
1/21/18 Vytautas Prienu vs. Pieno Zvaigzdes
3/10/19 SPIRE Academy vs. Bella Vista
10/24/19 Illawarra vs. New Zealand
If you use any portion of this material, please credit NBA Scouting Live.
