NBA Rumors: Golden State Warriors Considered As Best Landing Spot For LaMelo Ball In 2020 NBA Draft

Another member of the infamous Ball family is set to enter the NBA next season– LaMelo Ball. Like his older brother Lonzo Ball — who got selected as the No. 2 overall selection in 2017 — most people are expecting the younger Ball to be a top-three prospect in the upcoming NBA Draft.

In a recent article, Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report named the best landing spots for each projected lottery pick in this year’s draft. For Ball, Wasserman believes it would be best for him to start his career with the Golden State Warriors.

“LaMelo Ball may have a better opportunity to put up early stats by being picked No. 1 by the Timberwolves. But if the Warriors select him at No. 2, that may be best for his development. After shooting 37.7 percent with a giant workload for the Illawarra Hawks, Ball wouldn’t have to force as many plays and shots with Golden State. He could play to his strengths as a special passer and setup man running between elite shooters Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. He’d also benefit from the Warriors’ winning culture, veteran leadership and team defense.”

Though Ball wouldn’t immediately become the face of the franchise or the No. 1 scoring option in Golden State, being drafted by the Warriors, who currently own the No. 2 pick, may really end up being beneficial for him. Aside from giving him a realistic chance of winning his first championship title in his rookie season, he could also learn plenty of things from one of the most explosive backcourt duos in the league — Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Curry could serve as his mentor to become an elite point guard, while Thompson could teach Ball how to become a better shooter and excel even without the ball in his hands. Also, as Wasserman noted, playing under Warriors head coach Steve Kerr could help Ball address some of the flaws in his game, such as overdribbling, hero jump shots, and lapses in effort.

Meanwhile, by using their own 2020 first-rounder to select Ball, the Warriors would be able to form a three-headed monster in their backcourt. However, as of now, it remains a big question if the Warriors would be really interested in adding another young and promising talent to their roster. With the team seriously aiming to return to title contention in the 2020-21 NBA season, they are highly expected to use the lottery pick as the main trade chip to acquire another superstar that would complement their core of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green.