In search of a face for the team’s rebuild, the New York Knicks may be closing in on LaMelo Ball to take that throne. A recent report from the New York Post noted that the Knicks are focusing in on a player like LaMelo Ball.
According to an NBA source, the Knicks scouting staff has been instructed the top priority is a scoring point guard on whom to use their lottery pick.
The second priority, likely for the Clippers’ pick, is a shooting guard who has 3-point range — something rookie RJ Barrett has not shown.
Looking at the top of the big board for the 2020 NBA Draft, the only players that would fit the mold of a scoring point guard would be Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes, RJ Hampton and Cole Anthony. And given how the rest of those non-Ball names have played this season, he’s a clear tier above the rest.
The desire for a point guard makes sense given the Knicks roster construction as well. After giving chances to Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina, the team appears ready to move on from both young guards to a different prospect.
Ball and current rookie RJ Barrett could mesh well together. Barrett is a solid ball-handler as a wing player and Ball is a decent off-ball player. The two could give the Knicks building blocks moving forward.
