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LaMelo Ball could be the 2020 NBA draft's No. 1 prospect, but he'll need to land in the right spot to match the hype.
Fit will play a key role in his development. A bad one could delay it. A good one should bring out his strengths, diminish his weaknesses and create winning habits.
His career would take off faster with certain lottery teams, including ones with veteran talent, shooters and defenders. And then there are teams that can't offer a defined role for a rookie point guard or don't have a clear path toward relevance any time soon.
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Even without knowing if Jim Boylen will still be coaching the Chicago Bulls, Ball should be interested in their situation. He can fill a need for a talented roster that his particular skills could unlock.
Boylen or a new coach would value Ball's playmaking alongside Zach LaVine, Otto Porter Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. His jumper and body may need time to develop, but right away, Ball can elevate those around him with his knack for setting the table. His scoring workload would be limited, which would be a good thing. He'd be able to play to his strengths—creating easy shots for teammates by tapping in to his passing IQ and vision.
Coby White did come alive over the last month of the season, but his streak scoring may also be perfectly suited for the sixth-man role. And while Tomas Satoransky and Kris Dunn can still offer value in supporting roles, Ball, a 6'7" point guard and improving athlete, is one of the draft's few prospects with All-Star potential.
The arrow appears to be pointing up for Chicago now that Arturas Karnisovas has taken over. The Bulls should be closer to escaping the lottery than most, and Ball, with his pace and facilitating ability, could be the difference-maker that helps them turn the corner.
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The Detroit Pistons could offer Ball starter minutes and plenty of shots right away. But a high-usage role, similar to the one he had with the Illawarra Hawks, would set him up for inefficiency.
Ball shot 37.7 percent last season and often had to create something out of nothing. In Detroit, where he wouldn't have much talent to play off, he would be vulnerable to going back to old habits of overdribbling or launching hero jumpers.
But the bigger concern is Detroit's future roster situation. It's tough to picture any quick path for the Pistons to resurface as relevant between Blake Griffin's injuries, age and contract plus the fact that Luke Kennard, Sekou Doumbouya and Svi Mykhailiuk represent the franchise's young core.
Christian Wood became an exciting pickup, but he's also expected to generate plenty of interest from other teams in free agency.
The Pistons should covet Ball, who would give them a new franchise point guard to build around. But unless he's focused on stat-chasing, he will want to avoid Detroit in the draft.
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Though landing with the the Golden State Warriors may limit a rookie's stat opportunities, it would be the best place for every prospect to develop. Ball should be salivating at the thought of initiating an offense with Stephen Curry on one wing and Klay Thompson on the other.
Coach Steve Kerr should be open to reducing Curry's on-ball reps as he ages into his mid-30s. Ball can still be capable of playing as a secondary playmaker from the 2 spot. But his tempo and passing would be a plus in the Warriors system for its scorers and shot-makers.
And Golden State's shooting and defense could also help mask Ball's weaknesses.
After playing for the National Basketball League's worst team, Ball would start his NBA career in a locker room with Hall of Famers and a winning culture. He would presumably get valuable playoff experience right away.
Looking ahead, Curry will be 35 when Ball would be eligible for his extension. While Ball would add value to the rotation right away, the timing of the beginning of his prime would match up with when Curry will likely hit a wall.
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There is no clear leadership in Charlotte, and the Hornets are already running out a lineup with multiple ball-handlers in Terry Rozier and Devonte' Graham.
Ball would eventually take over assuming the 2021-22 season would be Rozier's last in Charlotte. But his immediate role wouldn't be defined. And the roster still lacks long-term upside.
Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington are fine prospects but probably not stars. And Charlotte isn't known for attracting high-profile free agents.
The Hornets are still too far away from being relevant, though with Ball, Graham, Rozier, Bridges, Washington and potentially Malik Monk turning a corner, they might win just enough games to keep drafting in the Nos. 7-14 range.
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The Phoenix Suns are headed in the right direction, ranking 15th in offensive efficiency (up from 28th) and 18th in defensive efficiency (up from 29th). Ball could be just starting to get comfortable as a second- or third-year player when the Suns are ready for the playoffs and Ricky Rubio's contract is expiring.
In the meantime, he would begin his career coming off the bench, though that wouldn't be such a negative when considering his long-term development. There is also plenty he could learn from Rubio, a similarly savvy passer.
Looking ahead, Ball would fit and benefit alongside scoring machine Devin Booker and three-and-D wing Mikal Bridges. Booker, who has had his most efficient season (48.7 percent shooting) next to a facilitator such as Rubio, would continue to enjoy playing with a point guard who can take pressure off him and reduce his ball-handling duties.
And Bridges, plus 2019 lottery pick Cameron Johnson, will value Ball for his ability to create shots for teammates.
Inside, Deandre Ayton would provide Ball, a terrific pick-and-roll operator, with a high-percentage finisher.
The Suns would just need to get lucky in the lottery for a chance to grab the potential top prospect. Ball should consider Phoenix an attractive landing spot.
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The New York Knicks should be targeting Ball in the draft. Meanwhile, Ball figures to be drawn to the spotlight and starting position the franchise can offer. But for basketball reasons, New York isn't a suitable landing spot for a teenage point guard whose weaknesses include shooting, defense and turnovers.
He won't have helpful spacing on a team that ranks 27th in three-point percentage and last in threes made. The Knicks wouldn't be able to surround Ball with shooters. And Ball himself isn't one right now—a problem for a lineup built around RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson and Julius Randle.
New team president Leon Rose has the difficult task of improving a roster with limited trade assets. And the Knicks have lost their appeal as an attractive free-agent destination.
There are worse places for Ball to start his career. His passing, playmaking and flash are just what the Knicks can use. But too much has to go right for Rose to turn things around soon in New York. The addition of Ball would be a start. The Knicks would then need Barrett to develop into a star and management to start cashing in on draft picks, flipping them for talent or convincing free-agent stars to sign.
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Ball may have to warm up to the idea of playing alongside another ball-dominant guard in Trae Young. But they could help each other while applying unique pressure on defenses with their speed, playmaking and shot-making.
Young leads the NBA in time of possession while averaging 20.8 field-goal attempts and 4.8 turnovers per game. He's averaging 29.6 points and 9.3 assists, but the Hawks are 20-47. Atlanta might be too reliant on its 6'1", 180-pound engine.
While Ball is more comfortable with the ball, Young also ranks in the 97th percentile in spot-ups, per Synergy Sports. He's shooting 46.0 percent off the catch and 41.4 percent off screens. Young could be used to generate offense in different ways—not just with ball screens (53.3 percent of offense) and transition (16.5 percent of offense). Together, they should possess enough skill versatility to coexist.
And it might not hurt for the Hawks to experiment with two elite passers in their backcourt. Cam Reddish, Kevin Huerter and De'Andre Hunter would benefit.
And Ball would have a pair of the best pick-and-roll finishers to work with in John Collins and Clint Capela.
The Hawks also like to push the pace (fifth), which would play to Ball's strengths.
The fit may require some adjusting, but learning to play with Young could be good for Ball's development and efficiency. And though Atlanta is young and rebuilding, Ball would have a relatively balanced supporting cast that includes shooters and athletic bigs.
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Aside from the Cleveland Cavaliers' ranking last in defensive efficiency, there is too much uncertainty surrounding their roster for an incoming point guard such as Ball to fit.
The Cavaliers used the 2019 No. 5 pick on Darius Garland a year after selection Collin Sexton eighth. So Ball would have to deal with a logjam of ball-handlers.
Then there is Kevin Love, who is signed through 2022-23, on a different timeline than the rest of the group. He seems like an obvious trade chip for Cleveland, more valuable to other teams than his own.
And it's unclear where Andre Drummond will stand in the long-term picture when he presumably opts in to the last year on his contract.
There are too many moving parts for a small-market franchise that is 19-46. It seems safe to assume Ball won't want any part of Cleveland during the draft.
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The Minnesota Timberwolves will need tweaks to optimize Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell, but it would still be an attractive landing spot for Ball.
Russell has experience playing some 2-guard, so Ball should have the chance to handle the rock with talent to feed. Together, they share a dangerous mix of size, ball-handling creativity, passing and shot-making skills.
But the main draw to Minnesota for Ball should be Towns, one of the league's most versatile pick-and-roll (or pick-and-pop) weapons. Towns' setting ball screens for Ball could become one of the league's most effective two-man actions.
It'd also be tough for other lottery teams to match the star power of a Ball-Russell-Towns nucleus. The Minnesota front office would need to prioritize adding defenders, but for Ball, the roster would possess more upside than most of the other suitors'.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference, NBA.com or ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
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April 21, 2020 at 06:07PM
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LaMelo Ball's Best and Worst Landing Spots in 2020 NBA Draft - Bleacher Report
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