LaMelo Ball, a 6-foot-7 point guard, will be the second Ball brother to be drafted into the NBA. He was selected third overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2020 NBA Draft. He last played for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia.
Charlotte Hornets Select LaMelo Ball Third Overall in the 2020 NBA Draft
Ball is now officially a Hornet. The third pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Ball will look to improve a team that has not made the NBA playoffs since 2016.
With the 3rd pick of the @NBADraft, the @hornets select LaMelo Ball (@MELOD1P)!
2020 #NBADraft presented by State Farm on ESPN pic.twitter.com/B8h6UgCg9Y
— NBA (@NBA) November 19, 2020
In the 2019-20 NBL season, Ball averaged 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. This includes a triple-double against Cairns Taipans with 32 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. He also played for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association and BC Prienai of the Lithuanian Basketball League.
LaMelo Ball NBA Draft Overview
Last year, the Hornets lost their NBA All-Star point guard Kemba Walker to the Boston Celtics. However, Ball will still compete with Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham for the starting role at point guard. In the 2019-20 NBA season, Rozier averaged 18 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and one steal per game. This is while Graham averaged 18.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and one steal per game.
It is hard to imagine Ball not playing in the starting lineup for the Hornets. The Hornets may look to move either Rozier or Graham so that Ball can get some playing time for the Hornets. Otherwise, one of either Rozier, Graham, and Ball will need to sit on the bench. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, Hornets principal owner Michael Jordan gave his approval in drafting Ball. This is what Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said of LaMelo Ball according to The Charlotte Observer.
“We were comfortable with whoever was there at three,” Kupchak said of the grouping of Anthony Edwards (first to the Minnesota Timberwolves), James Wiseman (second to the Golden State Warriors), and Ball. “I’m very excited about having LaMelo. He’s going to be fun to watch. He loves the game. He’ll push the basketball up and down the court.”
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
