Cleveland Cavaliers: Three prospects to avoid in the 2020 NBA Draft

LaMelo Ball – PG, Illawarra Hawks

LaMelo Ball of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks, in a similar fashion to Avdija, will likely be a very solid player in the NBA. He has every tool to be a successful point guard in the NBA and has shown a consistent ability to capably adjust to the level of his competition and even elevate his game as he has played at an extremely high level at pretty much every level he’s ever played at competitively.

He’s also reportedly included in the Cavs’ likely “top tier” of prospects for the upcoming draft, according to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

So with all this in mind, why on earth would I choose to include Ball on a list of players the Cavaliers should avoid in the 2020 NBA Draft?

Well, aside from the fact that he is a ball-dominant guard who has struggled from three-point territory in his time in the NBL with the Illawarra Hawks, as evidenced by him hitting just 25.0 percent from downtown leading up to a foot injury that cut his season short, he comes with arguably the most polarizing dad in sports in LaVar Ball.

He is also quite average on defense despite having solid athleticism and length at 6-foot-8. There is still solid potential as a deep shooter given he has flashed big-time range at other levels, but he still struggled immensely during his time in the NBL all the same in that regard.

He theoretically could fit as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the route that they either move on from one of Sexton or Garland from the starting lineup or even altogether, but as Cleveland general manager Koby Altman has no clear plans to do so for good reason, Ball’s fit is heavily in question. If he is able to find a consistent jumper in the NBA, he could elevate his game to a superstar level, but there is real concern and question of whether or not he’ll actually be able to do that.

His ceiling is higher than his older brother and New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball given his build, athleticism and seemingly general “it factor,” but his floor is lower because of his poor and inefficient jump shot, to go with shot selection, and lack of effort at times and capability on defense. He very well may shine as a leading member of a team like the New York Knicks or next to Trae Young as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, but it just is not worth a top five selection by the Cavaliers.

I think Ball will be a fine player in the NBA, but even as the Cavaliers remain a team in desperate need of superstar talent with a potential top five draft selection, fit still must be taken into consideration in all cases and Ball simply appears by most counts to be a player for a team like Cleveland to avoid.