According to reports, the Golden State Warriors do not appear to be very high on one of the top NBA Draft prospects, LaMelo Ball.
Like most teams in the league, the Golden State Warriors aren’t feeling too confident in the 2020 NBA Draft. Too much uncertainty surrounds the entire class and the Dubs have expressed not being interested in many of the projected top picks, including LaMelo Ball.
Ball is being regarded by most scouts as the best player in the draft. He seems to have the highest potential of any available prospect and is about as close as we can get to a ‘clear cut’ number one pick in an otherwise empty draft class.
Even with this being said, sources across the association feel there is a slim chance the Warriors choose to draft Ball if they land the top pick. Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote this when asked about the likely hood of Ball playing in Golden State:
"Very, very low. League sources don’t believe the Warriors are high on Ball — not because of the drama surrounding his father, but because he’s quite flawed for a top-3 prospect."
Surprisingly, these flaws have nothing to do with Ball’s controversial father. Instead, the Warriors have serious concerns about Ball’s ability to shoot the 3-pointer and defend NBA level talent.
Although LaMelo has sprouted into a solid 6’8″ frame and has sneaky athleticism, he has yet to show any fire or engagement on the defensive end. Furthermore, his shot selection is still questionable and he connected on under 30 percent of his 3-point attempts in the NBL.
Above all else, Ball simply doesn’t fit well with the team. He is a point guard who will need heavy minutes and high usage in order to be effective. This is something the Warriors cannot offer with a stacked backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.