Analysts continue to peg point guard LaMelo Ball as the top overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, one which the Warriors may end up possessing.
The Golden State Warriors are 15-50. With 17 games left in the 2019-2020 season, assuming the NBA play them out which seems like a long shot as of now, the Warriors have already played themselves out of playoff contention.
They are the only team in the league to not be in playoff contention. The Warriors need help, but the return of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, two superstars that combined for five games through the first 65, should be enough to rocket this team back to the top.
Thankfully, the Warriors horrific season will be somewhat rewarded as they’ll have a top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, one in which they initially traded to Brooklyn but put a top-20 protection on.
Who will they go with?
Memphis center James Wiseman, who left the NCAA’s rule after just three games, is the easy fit. But, he’s not the one that many analysts are pegging as a potential superstar. Instead, it’s Lonzo Ball’s brother, LaMelo Ball.
Ball has been pegged as the Warriors pick, or, rather, the top pick in the draft by many.
One of the most recent mock drafts which were dropped by the New York Post’s Marc Berman, had Ball to Golden State, one of the numerous top media sites that have done so in the last several weeks.
"“Ball probably has the draft’s most upside as a 6-foot-7 point guard who can create, drive, pass and fits Steve Kerr’s move-the-ball principles. His perimeter shot is shaky, but the Warriors already have the league’s most electric outside threats in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. A poor defender, Ball could be boom or bust,” Berman said of Ball."
Ball is an interesting prospect. Every player in this draft with a high ceiling has an accompanying low floor. Ja Morant and Zion Williamson were automatic stars. That’s just not how Ball and Anthony Edwards’ skill set is viewed.
Inefficient with the international team, Ball needs to show that his vision and length can translate to the highest level after he bypassed the typical training ground and jumped to overseas play.
That said, he has all the hype, but it’s difficult to see him immediately joining this team and being a top threat. If the Warriors want to wait and develop the 18-year-old, they may be able to make him a true superstar. However, for now, it seems like a long shot.