Despite playing just nine games in the National Basketball League, LaMelo Ball has impressed so much that he has forced his way into the conversation as the top pick. Playing in one of the top overseas leagues in the world, Ball has put up respectable numbers, averaging 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists in 31.3 minutes per game.
His play has caught the attention of scouts and GMs in the NBA as multiple teams have made trips to Australia to scout the guard. As one NBA scout recently put it in a Yahoo Sports piece, it’s hard to ignore the numbers he’s putting up.
“This is LaMelo’s first real competition in his career, The fact that he’s putting up numbers like this in a league full of former NBA players is forcing every team to look at him as a potential No. 1 pick.”
Ball’s very unique upbringing through basketball circuits means he’s never truly been in the public eye since his sophomore year of high school. His time in Lithuania was lightly-covered and featured an uninspired Ball playing few minutes. A return to America and the JBA was the polar opposite as Ball played in a setting where he was vastly superior to all the talent around him.
Even at SPIRE last season, Ball did not play high-profile teams and only sparingly played in national showcases. Games were often blowouts without Ball needing to exert much effort. As a result, his stock was low heading to Australia.
But he could hardly have exceeded expectations more, notching a pair of triple-doubles in his last two outings. The result has been him making a legitimate case for the top pick.
