LaMelo Ball continues to be a polarizing draft prospect even despite his strong start in the National Basketball League in Australia. Ball has pretty consistently found himself inside the top five of most reputable mock drafts, he still has weaknesses that are more strongly pointed out by some.
In a recent piece for Heavy, Sean Deveney talked to an NBA scout about various prospects and their fits with the New York Knicks. The scout briefly mentioned some of the positives before quickly jumping to the negatives.
“He’s a good fit with the Knicks because he is a playmaker. Obviously, the team is going to have to deal with his dad and all the Hollywood BS in his game. He is a legitimate 6-7, maybe he’ll get to 6-8 and he can shoot it and pass. His shot should translate to the NBA. Couple questions though. His team in Australia, they’re terrible. He has some NBA guys on that team, Josh Boone, Aaron Brooks. But he’s not winning. You want to see winning when you are picking a point guard. And there’s, is he a distraction? That is the question.”
The questions about LaVar will always be around and are fair. But questioning his talent because his team is struggling screams of someone who has not watched Ball or the Hawks this season.
Ball has all the tools to become a solid NBA point guard. But nothing about his team’s record should dictate how his draft status should be viewed. It would be a similar trap teams fell into with regards to Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz.
