Should LaMelo Ball be the #1 Overall Pick?

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Remember when LaMelo Ball scored 92 points in a high school basketball game and broke the internet? It may be hard to believe that happened just two years ago. Now the younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is in the conversation to be the #1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Seeing LaMelo go from a 5’10 PG with limited college interest to a 6’6 PG with a great chance of being a lottery pick has been pretty wild. A lot of people still have doubts about Lamelo as an NBA prospect, but here’s why he is a legitimate contender to be the #1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

To start off, we have to talk about LaMelo’s size. LaMelo is 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. That means he is 4 inches taller than the average NBA point guard. His size will give him a huge advantage on offense when he is guarded by shorter guards. LaMelo is so tall that teams are probably going to be forced to switch their point guard off of him. Just imagine Steph Curry or Trae Young defending LaMelo. It’d be a total nightmare. LaMelo also has long arms which will allow him to finish against big men and long defenders. I’d like to see LaMelo get in the weight room and gain around 15 pounds of muscle, which would improve his ability to score through contact and allow him to defend PGs, SGs, and SFs. LaMelo has gained a reputation for being a bad defender, but with his size, he has the potential to be a good defender if he puts in the effort.

LaMelo is also a good shooter with elite range. Take a look at some of his highlights and you’ll see him pull up from DEEP. When I say deep I mean 27-30 feet from the basket. There’s no doubt that LaMelo will be a threat as soon as he crosses half court in the NBA. One issue I have with him is that he doesn’t drive enough. There are times where LaMelo is breaking a defender down and instead of trying to drive into the paint to get an easier shot, he shoots a three. If he would drive to the basket more, then he would get easier shots and more opportunities to shoot free throws. LaMelo can become a really efficient scorer if he becomes less trigger happy from three-point range.

My favorite part of LaMelo’s game is his passing and court vision. I can seriously watch LaMelo run an offense all day long. He makes his teammates better and does a fantastic job of putting his teammates in position to score. One of the best things that LaMelo does on the court is driving, drawing a double team, and kicking the ball out to a wide-open shooter. He does this a lot and it’s mesmerizing.

I must admit that when LaMelo was at Chino Hills, I didn’t think he’d ever be a first-round pick. He used to be a shot chucker with poor defense, but now he has turned into a good all-around point guard. It’s too early to tell if LaMelo is worthy of being the #1 pick, but he should definitely be considered one of the top players in the 2020 NBA draft.