With more and more NBA analysts and writers turning their attention toward the upcoming draft, more and more big boards and prospect profiles have come out. The latest to publish their big board is The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, who has gained a reputation as one of the wiser and most informed draft analysts.
O’Connor and The Ringer debuted their big board this week and slot Ball into the second spot overall with a brief summary of his pros and cons.
Passes like he’s on the Harlem Globetrotters, and it somehow works; he needs to dramatically improve his scoring efficiency, but he has the upside to become one of the NBA’s best playmakers.
In lieu of straight-up comparisons to current players, The Ringer opts to list players the prospects show shades of. For Ball, the three players listed are Jason Williams, Lonzo Ball, Shaun Livingston. Williams is listed almost certainly because of his passing ability as one of the most entertaining facilitators in NBA history.
The comparison to Lonzo is more obvious and an easy one. Both possess size, common playstyles and high basketball IQs. The Livingston comparison likely comes from Ball’s size. Livingston was a 6’7″ point guard, the same listed height as LaMelo. Livingston also possessed great touch in the mid-range, which LaMelo also has.
O’Connor also gives a more detailed “pluses” and “minuses” section for Ball and the other prospects. Ball’s passing acumen and touch on his shots around the rim are noted as his positives while his inconsistent effort defensively and his struggles shooting the ball are noted as negatives.
Another interesting takeaway from the big board is who Ball is ranked behind. While most of the debate at the top of the draft has been between Ball, Anthony Edwards and James Wiseman, it’s actually French guard Killian Hayes who tops O’Connor’s big board. Hayes is also a guard who is also young and also played overseas last season.
While few big boards have listed Hayes at the top or above Ball, he’s certainly a player that will be in the conversation for the top five picks and could easily find himself in the conversation for the top pick depending on the team, the fit and what teams learn about him in the rest of the predraft process.
