LaMelo Ball - NBA Draft Room

NBA DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT

POSITION: PG	FROM: USA	HT: 6-7	WT: 180
BORN: 8/22/01	YEAR: 01	WING: NA	REACH: NA

Article: Is LaMelo Ball Worth The Risk Of A Top 3 Pick?

Draft Notes

LaMelo Ball is a flashy play-maker who brings a ton of excitement to the game. He isn’t blessed with great athleticism but his advanced skill level makes up for his athletic shortcomings and his size for position is a big plus.

Ball is a crowd-pleaser with his deep range and flashy passing. He plays with great pace and keeps the defense on it’s heels with how he pushes the ball up the court and makes plays off the dribble.

Strengths

Ball is an advanced ball-handler who possesses a strong left and the ability to take it into the lane with either hand. He is fast and crafty with the dribble and has a quick crossover and a lot of shake n bake moves to get past his man.

He can handle against pressure and has a quick change of direction to shake free. He does a nice job of drawing the defense and dropping it off to a teammate in the paint or kicking it out for a three. He can make the one hand pass off a live dribble and really has a special feel for finding the open man.

LaMelo has deep range on his jumper and although his his shot isn’t falling at a good rate it’s enough to keep the defense honest so that he can capitalize on his dribble-drive game and play-making skills. His shot is a bit funky but I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a really good 3pt shooter over the next few years.

Ball can get his own shot in a variety of ways. He pulls up for deep threes before the defense can step out to guard him and he can hit on a variety of runners and floaters in the mid range. Now that he’s grown to at least 6-7 his ability to score in the lane is much improved.

Ball plays with oversized confidence and swagger, which rubs off on his teammates.

More than anything else it’s his court vision and uncanny feel for the game that makes him a high level prospect.

Weaknesses

Ball is just an average athlete and lacks top level explosiveness and speed. He doesn’t elevate well and his lack of strength and leaping ability make it harder for him to score in traffic and score over length. It remains to be seen if he can put on enough weight and add enough strength to hold his own at the highest levels of play (although he’s got a much improved frame since last year).

Defensively Ball doesn’t bring the same effort and energy that he brings to the offensive end. He lacks the strength to guard bigger guards and his average quickness can lead to blow-by’s.

He doesn’t always hustle back on defense and seems more concerned with the offensive end of the court.

His lack of defense will be highlighted when he gets to the NBA level.