It Doesn’t Look Like the Golden State Warriors Have Any Interest in Drafting LaMelo Ball
Is LaMelo Ball a sure thing to land with the Golden State Warriors? Ball is viewed as a top-3 prospect, and on paper would look to be a fine addition to the team that struggled for most of the NBA season.
For the better part of the 2010s, the Warriors were the hottest team in basketball. The team won three NBA championships behind a talented group of players including Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant.
Heading into the 2019 NBA offseason the team knew they would probably lose Durant to free agency, but they didn’t expect to lose Thompson (torn ACL) and Curry (broken hand) during the 2019-20 campaign.
At the suspension of the season, the Warriors hold the worst record in the NBA, sitting at 15-50, but the cupboard isn’t bare on a team only a few months removed from playing in it’s fifth straight NBA Finals.
Golden State Warriors needs
When you think about this 2020 draft class, the Warriors need someone that can come in and provide an immediate impact right away. The core of the team is past their prime, with Curry, Thompson, and Green all 29 or older. How many years do they have as a quality team in the West?
Andrew Wiggins is young and on a max deal, and the trade to grab Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell still some shaking their heads, but we think he can still reach an untapped ceiling under Steve Kerr.
Why Golden State Warriors don’t have interest in LaMelo Ball
There a few reasons the Warriors don’t have much interest in drafting the third Ball brother, that don’t have anything to do with his father. The first is his inability to knock down a consistent outside shot. During his season in the NBL Ball had a true shooting percentage of 46.4.
We don’t see how he can fit into the Warriors offense from that aspect alone. The team is also concerned about his shot selection (awful since his high school days) and ability to defend in a conference with dominant perimeter players.
The final black eye against Ball is his position. Would the team really spend a No. 1 overall pick on a backup point guard? Curry played in just five games this season, averaging 20 points per game, but he is just a season removed from putting up 27 per game.
It wouldn’t be a pick of need and more of a luxury for a team looking to win another championship.
Possible picks for the Golden State Warriors
So if Ball isn’t the pick who should the team draft? The smart money is on Anthony Edwards out of Georgia, but we think the smart pick would be Killian Hayes.
He has shown the ability to knock down his free throws (87% in 33 games), and that usually translates to a good NBA perimeter game, while also being able to make the smart pass and play defense.
Is Golden State going to keep the pick? The team could, but with the 2020 free agency class not being as highly sought as 2021, the pick is also in play as an important trade piece.
Where will LaMelo Ball end up?
We think the most likely scenario is him landing at No. 3 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team will look to avoid one of the top bigs in James Wiseman out of Memphis (Karl-Anthony Townes is barely scratching the surface), and Obi Toppin would bring things back to the Andrew Wiggins era of sloppy defensive play. Expect Ball and Townes to perform an exciting one-two punch in the West.
