After catching LaMelo Ball in-person last week during the NBL Blitz in Tazmania, DraftExpress made a drastic change in its 2020 NBA mock draft, raising Ball all the way near the top. Ball comes in at No. 3 in the mock draft, trailing only James Wiseman in the top spot and Anthony Edwards at No. 2.
The move up to number three marks many firsts for Ball in DraftExpress’ projections. Prior to this most recent mock draft, Ball was only barely considered a first-round pick and even then had only just moved into the first round as a projection.
In June, DraftExpress projected Ball as the 24th pick in the 2020 Draft. That was a jump from their April projections when Ball was listed as a 32nd pick, one of the first picks in the second round.
The meteoric jump comes largely as a result of Ball’s play during the preseason with his new side in the Illawarra Hawks. Despite it being the preseason, Ball has scored in double figures in each contest and flirted with a triple-double in the one game DraftExpress saw live in the NBL Blitz.
The jump for Ball despite it being a preseason could also be a correction toward the mean as well. Ball’s stock did take a big hit after he left for Lithuania and then spent a season in the Junior Basketball Association. But his season at SPIRE did not entirely restore his value, though it put him back on the map as intended.
Now, Ball will have a decent shot at becoming the top pick in the 2020 draft after establishing himself in the running this preseason.
