Where does LaMelo Ball Rank compared to the game's top young point guards?
Following the most recent mock draft from ESPN's Jonathan Givony, the buzz of LaMelo Ball being a potential No.1 overall pick has become more real than rumor.
The lengthy 6-foot-7 point guard has displayed the playmaking ability that made his older brother the second pick in the 2017 draft and has a combination of "size, feel and creativity" that has led NBA scouts to draw comparisons to Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic, according to Bleacher Report.
With a combination of scoring, playmaking, size and experience, of the top point guards selected in the top 10 over the last three NBA drafts, LaMelo Ball has the potential to be the best of them all.
Scoring
The long build of LaMelo Ball, paired with a legitimate, albeit inconsistent, jump shot from deep, allows the 18 year old to score from anywhere on the court.
Unlike his older brother, Ball uses his length to consistently finish over and around taller defenders.
Much like Luka Doncic, LaMelo combines his length with a soft touch to create an array of possible reverses, contact finishes and floaters.
Of the guards over the past few years, LaMelo's outside shooting is only comparable to or exceeded by Doncic, Trae Young, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, placing him in the top half of shooting threats amongst young point guards.
The problem for Ball's shooting is the same issue that plagues Trae Young from being a statically great shooter—inconsistency. At times, both guards play to the crowd and their confidence, choosing to hoist up contested threes after an impressive size-up rather than blowing by their defender.
Occasionally it works.
More often than not, it doesn't, and the rhythm of the game gets disrupted.
As his rookie season progressed, Trae Young grew out of this bad habit and became one of the best offensive weapons in the game. There is no reason to believe LaMelo won't follow the same trajectory en route to maximizing his offensive potential.
In terms of scoring, only Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Coby White appear to be or possess a clear better scoring repertoire than Ball. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are his scoring peers, as he displays more potential than all the others.
Playmaking
The last three NBA drafts have produced generational talent in the playmaking department, and the inclusion of LaMelo Ball is primed to stretch the streak to four.
Ball is blessed with the family ability to make full court passes look effortless.
Along with sharing the full court passing gene, LaMelo shares one of Lonzo's most heralded abilities—running the fast break in showtime fashion.
Pair LaMelo's ability to create easy points through full court passes with his ability to make his teammates open on the fast break and he already becomes one of the more dangerous young playmakers in the NBA. Take into account his veteran ability to run the pick-and-roll, and he may just be the most dangerous of them all.
In today’s NBA, what separates a very good playmaker like Lonzo Ball and a generational playmaker like Trae Young is the ability to pose a threat in pick-and-roll situations. LaMelo favors the latter.
His aforementioned attacking ability makes him a real downhill threat coming off the pick.
While his shooting ability makes it impossible for the defender to go under.
Once that threat is created, defenders are forced to gravitate towards LaMelo, leaving the roller or perimeter teammates wide open.
The seasoned playmaking ability of the potential top pick of 2020 is comparable only to that of Trae Young and Luka Doncic, as talented playmakers like Ja Morant, De'Aaron Fox and Lonzo Ball still cut the defense some slack with the ability to go under or soft hedge on picks.
Defense
LaMelo Ball doesn't have the defensive potential that young guards like Lonzo Ball and De'Aaron Fox have displayed early in their careers, but the 18 year old is by no means a liability like Luka Doncic and Trae Young. Instead, he finds himself somewhere in the middle, as defense is unlikely to be his calling card but he has definitely proven he can hold his own.
LaMelo has the length and enough athleticism to give opposing smaller guards a hard time on the perimeter.
That length also allows him to get his hands into passing lanes in situations that he seems out of position on.
And the fact that he has essentially been playing up a bracket since he was 13 has given LaMelo veteran tricks to be comfortable in what many would consider a mismatch.
Chino Hills and AAU mixtapes have given LaMelo Ball a bad reputation defensively, but, thanks to his size and professional experience, the young point guard has more to offer than most would believe. He would still fall in the bottom three defensively next to past point guards selected in the top ten, but he can hold his own on that side of the floor.
Overall
Exceptional playmaking paired with an above average ability to score and a respectable impact on defense places LaMelo Ball ahead of past top ten point guard picks like Ja Morant, Coby White, Darius Garland, Dennis Smith Jr., Markelle Fultz and Frank Ntilikina.
However, ranking as one of the lesser defenders amongst his talented peers leaves him behind names like Lonzo Ball, Collin Sexton, Trae Young, De'Aaron Fox and Luka Doncic.
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