Hornets select LaMelo Ball with No. 3 pick
With the No. 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets have selected former Illawarra Hawks point guard LaMelo Ball.
The youngest Ball brother has the highest ceiling in this year's draft class, but he's also shrouded in mystery due to his unconventional path to being a top NBA prospect. He had a disastrous debut pro season as a 16-year-old in the Lithuanian Basketball League before lighting up Australia's NBL this past year.
Ball averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals in his lone campaign with the Hawks. The California native became the youngest player in NBL history to register a triple-double and was named Rookie of the Year. However, Ball was limited to just 12 appearances due to injury.
Bio
Position: PG
Club: Illawarra Hawks (Australia)
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 190 lbs
Wingspan: 6-foot-10
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Elite size allows him to see over the top of most point guards and expose openings in the defense
- Shows outstanding playmaking creativity; he can make all sorts of passes with either hand
- Often makes smart decisions with the ball; he posted a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBL
- Shows great change of pace
- Effective cutter off the ball
- Active presence on the glass
Weaknesses
- Has an unorthodox shot release, just like his older brother Lonzo
- He's an inefficient scorer; he made only 37.5% of his field-goal attempts - including a 25% mark from deep - during his brief stint in Australia
- Needs to be more consistent and engaged defensively
- Tends to shy away from contact at the rim