LaMelo Ball became a national sensation when he scored 92 points in a high school basketball game back in February of 2017. Many people were very critical of the feat, as they accused the youngest ball brother of cherry-picking on offense in order to score more points as the game went along.
It’s been almost 3 years since that game, though. That time has seen LaMelo play overseas in Lithuania, in the JBA (founded by father Lavar Ball), enroll back in high school for his senior year, and he is now playing pro again in order to raise his NBA draft stock.
The question is, just how good is Lamelo Ball?
The answer, in simple terms, is that he’s really good. He is #1 overall pick consideration good. But, we’re not going to do things simply here.
LaMelo didn’t just go to Lithuania as a publicity stunt like some people may believe. He went there, along with his undrafted brother LiAngelo, to hone their basketball crafts and raise their potential draft stocks. It worked, too, as it became evident that LaMelo was forming a more complete game while playing in the Euro League.
The hype didn’t stop there, though. If you follow basketball pages on various social media sites, you consistently see highlight videos of LaMelo whether they be one clip or a compilation. Here’s the one that I find the most impressive:
He is currently projected to be a top 5 pick in the draft, ranking at 3rd overall in the first mock draft for the 2020 draft. But, with the way that he has been playing in the NBL, don’t be surprised if he does indeed climb up to that first overall spot. Don’t just take it from me, though. Lonzo Ball had this to say about his younger brother, “I feel at the same age, he’s better than me. Melo has a chance to be a better player than me, for sure.”
Remember, LaMelo is only 18 years old right now, and would be a freshman in college had the NCAA let him play. Lonzo saying that his brother is better than he was at that age is saying something, as Lonzo was a consensus second overall pick in that years’ draft.
All in all, I think LaMelo has a serious chance to be the #1 overall pick come the 2020 NBA draft, and he really has the potential to succeed in the NBA. We won’t know for sure if he can live up to that potential, though until he actually makes it there.
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