After having gone through numerous stops throughout the early stages of his basketball career, LaMelo Ball is finally making his much-awaited jump to the big leagues in the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft. Even with a rookie class bannered by the likes of Georgia's Anthony Edwards and Memphis' James Wiseman, the youngest Ball brother remains to be the best prospect available.
Many people tend to forget that the California native was previously offered and eventually committed to UCLA at age 13 before even got to play a high school game. It only speaks volumes of how a prestigious basketball program saw his potential and promising upside right from the get-go, which prompted them to want to secure his services for the future.
He was instantly put in the spotlight when he starred for Chino Hills High School as a freshman alongside his two older brothers, Lonzo and LiAngelo, along with his cousin, Andre Ball. In his very first game, Ball went on to introduce himself to the basketball scene by scoring 27 points as a starter.
Chino Hills finished the season with a 35-0 record and claimed the mythical national championship. Ball averaged 16.4 points and 3.8 assists per game and shared the MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors with his teammate, Onyeka Okongwu—another highly touted prospect in the upcoming draft.
In his sophomore season, Ball suffered his first high school loss despite scoring a game-high 36 points against Oak Hill Academy, which ended Chino Hills' 60-game win streak back in February of 2017. Three days later, he scored 92 points in a win over Los Osos High School, the second-most single-game points scored in California high school history. On July 27 of the same year, he was pitted in an AAU game against another five-star recruit in Zion Williamson that instantly made waves in national sports media.
Ball decided to leave Chino Hills prior to his junior school when his dad, LaVar, opted to go for homeschooling due to his disapproval of newly appointed head coach Dennis Latimore and the school administration.
Seeking a greener pasture, LaMelo alongside LiAngelo went on to take their talents to Lithuania where they headlined BC Prienai in the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). Ball reportedly became the youngest American to ever sign a professional basketball contract. It turned out to be a rough stint for LaMelo as he finished the season tallying 6.5 points and 2.4 assists, shooting 26.8 percent from the field, in 12.8 minutes per game.
In May of 2018, Ball signed with the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA), a new league created by his father as an alternative to college basketball. In his debut on June 21, he posted a triple-double of 40 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals, shooting 15-of-40 from the field, in a 134–124 win over the New York Ballers. Several months later in November, he left the JBA tour to return to high school in the United States for his senior season.
Ball eventually joined SPIRE Institute and Academy, a prep school in Geneva, Ohio, where he played under head coach Jermaine Jackson. In March of 2019, he scored 41 points, including 29 in the first half, in a 102-67 victory over Hillcrest Prep North at the Grind Session World Championship. He went on to lead his team to reach the finals and was hailed as the season MVP. He was ruled ineligible for the 2019 McDonald's All-American Game due to his professional experience.
His most recent stop was with the Illawarra Hawks of the Australian-based National Basketball League (NBL). In his first regular-season game, LaMelo Ball tallied 12 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists on 6-of-17 shooting in a loss to the Brisbane Bullets. He eventually eased to a bigger role in the team when former NBA veteran Aaron Brooks suffered a season-ending injury.
He went on to deliver two consecutive triple-double performances before sustaining a bruised foot in practice, which would eventually end his tenure with the Hawks. Through 12 games played, Ball averaged 17 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, shooting 37.7 percent from the field and was named NBL Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.
As they say, experience is always the best teacher and it remains to be Ball's best advantage against the other rookies. The ups and downs that he had gone through in his eventful basketball journey as of late ultimately helped him grow as a player who is aiming to make it big in the NBA.
In addition, he has already gained a ton of exposure as he spent most of his career playing against grown men both in Lithuania and in Australia while his peers were still battling it out in the collegiate ranks. Those couple of years allowed him to have a feel for the competition and witness how the game is being played at the professional level even at a young age.
His rare combination of size and skill makes him an even more intriguing prospect heading into the draft. It isn't everyday that you get to chance upon a 6'7″ point guard who has a deep bag of tricks in his arsenal. Not to mention that his long and lanky frame fits perfectly in the modern NBA where tall, versatile, and athletic guards are being fancied especially in small-ball schemes today.
At the age of 19, LaMelo is unmistakably far from being a complete player and he still has several areas to improve on as his career progresses. He needs to find consistency on his shot, specifically beyond the arc where he only averaged a meager 25 percent based on his most recent stint in the NBL.
He also needs to get his body stronger and know how to better utilize his physical tools and use it to his advantage especially on the defensive end of the ball. His decision-making also needs more improvement to avoid impulsive decisions on the court as he goes up against tenured veterans in the league.
Being in the public eye for several years already, basketball fans were able to witness how he matured from playing in the backseat behind his brothers during his high school years to presumably beating Lonzo as the best hooper in the family. One can only attempt to imagine his ceiling as a player and the things that he can do on the court moving forward.
Regardless of the loopholes found in his game, LaMelo Ball is still the best talent available out there and the teams' impending decision to pass up on him will eventually haunt them in the future. Basketball fans everywhere can expect the youngest Ball brother to wreak havoc in the league and emerge as one of the best rising stars in the league for the years to come.
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