The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to add a true difference maker in the 2020 NBA Draft, and LaMelo Ball could be just that.
In this year’s draft, as expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be eyeing a franchise-altering player. There are many routes that the Cavaliers could take in this draft but, it seems as if they will look at talent over fit. With the new draft lottery odds, it is uncertain what pick the Cavs will end up with. If they are to secure a top three pick in the 2020 NBA Draft however, there are many options that they could choose from.
One of the most, if not the most, intriguing players is LaMelo Ball. Ball is a very polarizing player and will bring tons of publicity to whatever team drafts him.
Ball played overseas this past season in Australia, posting 17 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game for the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks. The biggest gripes for him has been his poor shooting selection, which played into his shooting percentage of only 37.7 percent, too, and his unwillingness to play defense.
Looking at some positives, Ball is looked at by many as the best playmaker in this draft. Looking at his stats once more, he averaged nearly seven assists per game in his first season as a pro. Ball has amazing pick-and-roll potential and could be one of the best passers in the league at his peak.
All in all, with a top pick, Ball has a huge chance to get drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, and if he is, there are a few meaningful goals that he could hit next season.
As a quick side note, according to the agent of prospect Killian Hayes of the BBL’s Ratiopharm Ulm, the Cavs have very little to no interest in drafting a guard in the 2020 NBA Draft, but Ball is reportedly among those in Cleveland’s top tier of prospects. So those comments from Hayes’ agent, with the draft to be in mid-October, could seemingly just be a smoke screen, as KJG’s Dan Gilinsky emphasized.
Moving on, we’ll take a look at the first of two key goals for Ball for 2020-21 if he were to be selected by Cleveland.