New Orleans Pelicans 2020 Draft Profile: LaMelo Ball

LaMelo Ball’s Weaknesses

Now… some questions on LaMelo are legit.

How ready is he after an odd path to the NBA?

How much of a weight does the potential of bringing LaVar into your city weigh on GMs and owners?

Can he learn to shoot?

Since Lonzo’s trade to the Pelicans, LaVar has been…. Quiet. Comments a while back on FS1’s Undisputed showed he is still the LaVar that America either loves or hates, but he is a lot more toned down and a little more humble.

An upside is that he hasn’t been a pain for the New Orleans Pelicans like he was with the Lakers, and David Griffin dealt with LeBron’s camp and that was probably a lot harder.

So LaVar shouldn’t be a deterrent to drafting his son.

Readiness? Who is ever truly ready? No one has really walked into the NBA ready-made since LeBron, D-Wade, and Carmelo Anthony in 2003.

The NBL and Australia has produced quality NBA players who have had great careers, Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills to name two.

Plus having played against pro basketball players, he has a bit more knowledge than those who went the traditional NCAA route.

The biggest question mark surrounding LaMelo is the same one that plagued his brother: can he learn to shoot?

In his small Australian sample size LaMelo shot just 37.5 percent from the floor and an abysmal 25 percent from 3-point range.

That didn’t stop LaMelo from chucking them up though, as he was still taking 6.7 attempts per game from long-range.

However, with shot-doctor, Fred Vinson already working his magic with Lonzo, it’s easy to imagine the same happening with his brother if he did end up with the New Orleans Pelicans.

Shooting is often slow to develop with young point guards and LaMelo has so many other skills to offset his current lack of shot.

LaMelo Ball is a sure-fire top-five lottery pick whenever the NBA is able to hold their draft, so the Pelicans would have to get lucky to get a shot at him, as they have just a 1.2 percent chance at the top pick and are only 1.7 percent to stay in the top-four.

A trade would almost have to be in order to get that high for the Pelicans, but if Griffin fancies the prospect of a killer backcourt duo of brothers to put on the court with Zion, BI, and Jaxson Hayes then, in the words of LaVar, let’s speak it into existence.