How LaMelo Ball’s 2020 NBA Draft rise could impact the Cavaliers

2020 NBA Draft Prospect LaMelo Ball’s draft stock is reportedly soaring, but how exactly could that impact the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2020 NBA Draft? We’ll get into that here.

With the primary focus for the Cleveland Cavaliers in coming years seemingly being player development, draft selections are crucial to the team eventually coming a postseason contender once again, and the 2020 NBA Draft, where the Cavs should have no problem in retaining their top 10 protected first-rounder, should be no exception in helping Cleveland’s turnaround efforts.

One prospect that’s slated to be in the 2020 NBA Draft that is generating a ton of buzz is point guard LaMelo Ball.

Ball’s draft stock is skyrocketing and currently, he is reportedly in the mix to be taken number one overall in the next draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony (subscription required) and as was h/t Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney.

This depending on how the lottery will eventually go, could change things a little bit.

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, in a recent mailbag set of Q and A, Cavs assistant general manager Mike Gansey spent time overseas watching LaMelo Ball, combo guard R.J. Hampton and wing Terry Armstrong.

With the way the 2020 NBA Draft is shaping up right now, it currently lacks the star power that you would typically want at the top. I think at this point, big James Wiseman (who will be playing at Memphis this collegiate season) is the best prospect in the draft and is also the best prospect for the Cleveland Cavaliers, as I’ve written before.

With the lack of a clear cut player and the lack of star power at the top, who goes number one could depend on which team ends up with the first pick.

I believe Wiseman would be the Cavs’ best bet, because of the lack of star power in this draft, his ability as a shot blocker (he had 5.5 blocks per game in his senior season in high school for reference, per the Memphis Commercial Appeal’s Khari Thompson) and Wiseman being a defensive culture setter.

With that being said, LaMelo shouldn’t necessarily be ruled out, either. Yes, the Cavaliers have drafted guards back to back years, but Ball is a very different guard than those last two guard selections in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton.

As Deveney highlighted, when he comes into the 2020 NBA Draft, “Ball figures to be 6-7 or 6-8,” which will be a much bigger guard than Garland and Sexton (who are both listed at 6-foot-2 by most sites), so the Cleveland Cavaliers wouldn’t be drafting a smaller guard like they did the last two years.

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In Ball’s first game in the NBL (the best professional basketball league in Australia and New Zealand) Blitz league playing for IIIawarra, he had 19 points on 58.3% shooting, to go with 13 rebounds and 7 assists (per Real GM).

While it’s only one game, Ball showed off his ability as a solid scorer and playmaker, but the key is that Ball appears to be a much better shooter, especially from three-point range, than his brother Lonzo Ball, who is a good all-around player but has only shot 31.5% from deep and 38.0% overall in his two NBA seasons (per Basketball Reference).

Finding guys at that size (guards especially) that can make plays that effectively and can also rebound well isn’t easy to find.

Ball could also fit well with Garland, because Garland should be really good playing off-ball with his elite shooting ability from deep (47.8% from there in his short stint at Vanderbilt, per Sports Reference), which KJG contributors have often emphasized.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers do pick one, but a team really wants Ball, they could perhaps trade down and theoretically still get Wiseman. I think the center position still has value, but for some, to a degree you can make an argument that it’s been devalued with how the game has changed, so that’s how Ball could edge out Wiseman possibly as the first pick.

This again could be a draft when deciding who goes first overall really depends on who gets the first pick, because of the lack of star power and you could probably make a case for a handful of prospects to be the first pick, while getting different answers.

Last year everyone knew regardless of team that big Zion Williamson was going number one and the year before it was realistically between center Deandre Ayton and the uber-versatile Luka Doncic. Things could always change, as Zion wasn’t viewed as the number one prospect this time a year ago, and point guard Ja Morant was nowhere near at the top of draft boards, but none of those guys are anywhere close to as heralded as wing RJ Barrett was a year ago.

The center position still has value in today’s game, though. The Cavs haven’t had a legitimate shot blocker in a while (and they were last in the NBA in blocks in 2018-19, per NBA.com) and Wiseman is someone that would fit that role.

Come June if Wiseman is the Cavs’ target, being able to trade down with a team that would potentially really want Ball and collecting future assets, but also being able to get the shot blocker and defensive player that Wiseman can be, would be the ideal situation for general manager Koby Altman and the Cavaliers in the 2020 NBA Draft.

LaMelo Ball likely would give the Cavs a different type of guard prospect, and while very intriguing, he could potentially give the Cavs a trade down option in the scenario a team would really like Ball.

This could set Cleveland up very well for the 2021 NBA Draft, which is both at the top and depth-wise, considered to be really strong by many draft pundits it seems.