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2020 NBA Draft thread

I think this draft isn't going to be as bad as many are making it out to be. I do think with the pandemic going on that it's going to be a decent amount of sleepers to emerge aka really solid players picked later.

Overall I think this draft might turn out to have some depth. Maybe not any superstars but a good amount of solid role players and a couple of all stars for years to come.

I know most are gonna just chop my post up to being optimistic though. Lol
 
Prospect Report: Onyeka Okongwu Of USC

Onyeka Okongwu is another prospect considered to have risen in prominence compared to how he was viewed entering his first year of college basketball.
Though he was the 20th ranked player in the 2019 high school class [1], the six-foot-nine center was not widely projected as a potential one-and-done.
Nonetheless, 858 NCAA minutes later, he’s now ranked sixth on ESPN’s top 105.
Okongwu stood out because of his impact around the rim on both ends. His combination of coordination and smoothness moving around the floor offers hope he could, soon enough, be about as good out in space as well.
But for now, though the potential to become a difference maker is evident, Okongwu's actually quite uneven in pick-and-roll defense, while his post-up scoring doesn’t seem to be up to the level required for getting those types of touches in the pros, so the 19-year-old [2] doesn’t project as a shot creator in the next level. His foul shooting percentage is strong for a pure big man, but his jump-shot is completely theoretical at this point of his development as well.
But even if Okongwu doesn’t develop into a particularly effective player away from the basket, he seems like a safe bet to make a living in the NBA for a while. In this day and age, an average big man is out there, even a stretch big, to help you defend better near the basket, otherwise it doesn’t make sense to play him instead of a smaller player who offers more dynamism on offense and switching ability across the perimeter on defense. And that’s what the Chino Hills native excels at.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Onyeka Okongwu Of USC

Onyeka Okongwu has emerged due to his impact around the rim on both ends. His combination of coordination and smoothness moving around the floor offers hope he could someday be about as good out in space as well.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Help Defense
Okongwu impressed with his activity stepping up to the front of the rim as the last line of defense, coming off the weakside in help defense, rotating in to pick up the roll man when he was not directly involved in the pick-and-roll and shadowing isolations to intervene when a teammate got beat.
He is a quick leaper off two feet and a fairly explosive leaper off one foot coming across the lane on longer rotations, capable of acting as a regular threat to block shots in volume or challenging them via verticality effectively.
Okongwu averaged 3.5 blocks per 40 minutes last season and ranked 20th in the NCAA in block percentage. As a star rim protector in college, he elevated the level of the defense around him – averaging 30.8 minutes per game for a team that ranked 25th in the country in opponents’ shooting percentage at the rim [3].
He also managed to make such an impact without putting himself in constant foul trouble, as he averaged just 3.5 personal fouls per 40 minutes.
Okongwu isn’t quite perfect just yet, though.
He hasn’t yet developed a feel for making preventive rotations that deny space towards the rim and discourages dribble drivers from attacking the basket altogether.
Okongwu is also prone to overhelping and chasing hopeless blocks on occasion, besides biting on shot fakes every now and again.
But more concerningly, either his agility or his proactivity in plays that required multiple efforts left something to desired, as he didn’t generally show the quickness needed to step up, cut off a drive and force a drop-off but then turn around and quickly contest his man in the dunker spot. Those types of second effort plays are what makes you an elite rim protector in the pros, where almost every driver can make a pass off engaging the help.

Pick & Roll Defense
The Chino Hills High School product was asked to guard the pick-and-roll in different ways, but more often than not went a step or so beyond the foul line and dropped back to prioritize cutting off dribble penetration.
He is a little hit-and-miss in terms of bending his knees to get down in a stance approaching the ball handler but impressed with his smoothness and coordination sliding sideways and backpedaling in order to prevent the opponent from turning the corner or getting downhill right away off the pick.
Okongwu can keep pace with smaller players on a straight line from the foul line down and block a shot on the ball or discourage the attempt altogether. He’s shown to be pretty savvy leveraging his length into batting away lobs on occasion and getting his hands into pocket passes, with a few of his 34 steals in 28 appearances materializing in these plays.
But he can’t yet execute other strategies as effectively.
When he trapped or blitzed way out in the perimeter, Okongwu usually struggled to truly influence the ball handler well enough, though his footspeed recovering back to his man is pretty good.
He switched onto smaller players from time-to-time and seemed to prefer staying flat-footed while defending out on an island. Okongwu didn’t show particularly impressive side-to-side quickness to stay in front of shiftier types regularly and doesn’t leverage his strength into containing dribble penetration through contact. But he does manage to stay attached on a straight line pretty well against guards who only go north-and-south and also showed some hustle to recover and try to block a shot from behind when he got shook or beat on the first step.
There was no saving grace against the pick-and-pop, though, as Okongwu often struggled to balance stopping the ball and taking off to contest stretch big men effectively.

Individual Defense
He’s shown only so-so diligence to his boxout responsibilities and not particularly impressive quickness reacting to the ball off the rim – collecting 18.5% of opponents’ misses when he was on the floor. His average of 7.0 defensive rebounds per 40 minutes ranks 21st among 36 big men on ESPN’s top 105.
Despite his chiseled 245-pound frame, Okongwu is also only so-so at holding his ground in the post. But he uses his length to deny easy post entries regularly and guards with his arms up to try walling up the rim when the ball does get entered.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Onyeka Okongwu Of USC

Onyeka Okongwu has emerged due to his impact around the rim on both ends. His combination of coordination and smoothness moving around the floor offers hope he could someday be about as good out in space as well.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Finishing
Okongwu profiles as a rim runner in the pros but didn’t have a ton of opportunities to roll hard to the basket cleanly in college, due to USC's poor spacing, as only 54.1% of his makes at the rim were assisted [4].
It was fairly common to see him roll into a post-up or a face-up and he’s shown to be reasonably resourceful in these instances; able to spin into a floater off a jump-stop or work his way into a quick hook if he needs to deal with traffic, while impressing with his body control maneuvering his way through tight spaces and managing not to charge into the help regularly.
But the most noteworthy aspect of his approach when forced to cut his rolls short was the glimpses of appealing court vision he’s shown on quick kickouts on the move – assisting on 8.4% of USC's scores when he was on the floor last season, even if at a lousy 0.54 assist-to-turnover ratio.
His coordination also shined through in instances where he needed to catch the ball around the foul line, take a dribble to balance himself and gallop into a two-foot leap in traffic.
In the pros, Okongwu should be able to roll hard down the middle more often and figures to excel as a pick-and-roll finisher even more.
He is a decent screener who widens stance, looks to draw contact to dislodge the on-ball defender from the ball-handler and flashes decent feel for re-screening when needed.
Okongwu is an explosive leaper off two feet to play above the rim as a target for lobs sneaking behind the defense and has flashed the ability to go up strong without needing to load up, which suggests he might also be a threat to throw down lobs going up in a crowd in the middle of the lane.
He struggled some on non-dunk finishes when the lob was poorly tossed and he had to adjust his body in the air but generally showed soft touch around the basket when he got to go up and down – converting his 186 attempts at the rim at a 72.6% clip.
He doesn’t play with particularly impressive force looking to establish inside position in the offensive glass but his tenacity mixing it up on scrums to come up with second chance opportunities is noteworthy – collecting 12.5% of USC’s misses when he was on the floor. His average of 4.3 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes ranks 10th among the 36 big men on ESPN’s top 105.
Besides acting as a regular scoring threat on tip-ins and tip-dunks, his second jump is quick, and he can gather and go back up with power, even if surrounded – converting his 45 putback attempts at an 81.2% clip.

Post Offense
Okongwu is not very physical trying to establish deep position but managed to set a good enough seal more often than not in college.
He has a patient approach operating with his back to the basket and pretty light feet to work his way around the defender. Though he usually looks to back down his man to create separation for a basic right-handed hook, Okongwu mixes in some head fakes and pivot moves on occasion – creating 27 unassisted makes at the rim that were not putbacks in 28 appearances.
He seems to have a strong preference for going to his right hand but has gone to his left hand enough times to keep the defender honest, which makes his most elaborated pivot move faking left then turning right reasonably effective.
His touch seems to be beyond skepticism in these instances, as he converted a solid 41.5% of his 94 two-point shots away from the basket.
Okongwu has shown flashes of facing-up and launching long passes to the opposite court from time-to-time, and he can facilitate on handoffs a little bit, but nothing that suggests particularly special court vision as a shot creator for others.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Onyeka Okongwu Of USC

Onyeka Okongwu has emerged due to his impact around the rim on both ends. His combination of coordination and smoothness moving around the floor offers hope he could someday be about as good out in space as well.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Prospect Report: Isaac Okoro Of Auburn

The current draft class is considered weak in top tier talent by most draftniks. That has opened the door for prospects who were less well known entering the college season to take huge jumps in recognition, with some of those starting to be speculated as potential top 10 picks.
One of those players is Isaac Okoro.
The six-foot-five [1] wing arrived at Auburn as the 40th ranked prospect in the 2019 high school class [2], but 767 NCAA minutes later, he is now ranked fourth on ESPN’s top 100.
The surprising part about his rise to prominence is that Okoro is not tasked with shot creation responsibility at Auburn, ranking only fourth on the team in usage rate among rotation players. 69 players ranked on ESPN’s top 100 currently have a higher sum of field goal attempts and free throw attempts per 40 minutes than he does, and 59 players have a higher average of assists per 40 minutes.
The 19-year-old [3] is also a poor shooter at this point of his development, having missed 76.8% of his 82 shots away from the basket so far [4].
Therefore, the hype supporting his viability as a top 10 pick is mostly based on his defense, which is unusual because NBA teams tend to reach for shot creators and shot makers or seven-footers at the top of the draft – guys they can more easily perceive as franchise linchpins.
Okoro is a very good on-ball defender, though, and also a positive as a help defender.
This class doesn’t have all that many, if any, wings most people can envision becoming the sort of jumbo shot creator that is the archetype most commonly associated with what a star looks like in the NBA right now. Pure big men continue to become increasingly more devalued by the minute. And all of the smaller/physically weaker guards in the mix to get drafted in the lottery have some major drawbacks. So, in a year where no one is unquestionable, perhaps taking an ace defender who can maybe start making shots soon enough really could be the most compelling route.
 
Individual Defense
The Powder Springs, Georgia native has shown everything needed to be viewed as an isolation stopper.
He bends his knees to get down in a stance comfortably, has as many lateral slides as needed in him to stay in front one-on-one and shows somewhat impressive lateral quicks to stay attached if shook side-to-side.
Against power-based similarly sized players, Okoro has proven himself physical enough to leverage his 225-pound frame into chesting up and containing dribble penetration through contact.
That was also the case when he’s faced these big wings in the post or picked up the occasional bigger player on a switch, as Okoro has generally held his ground and showed the presence of mind to guard with his arms up near the rim to force the opponent to shoot/finish over his eight-foot-four standing reach.
Given his general size, very few players at the collegiate level have managed to score around or over him with him in the shooter’s/finisher’s personal space.
He has shown glimpses of being able to crossmatch onto smaller players as well and generally with the same level of effectiveness. Okoro works to go over a screen at the point of attack and though he struggles to navigate a pick cleanly at times, given his frame, he most often manages to recover quickly back in front if aided by a big man who can stop the ball.

Help Defense
He stays on a stance away from the ball and has not only shown to be trustworthy executing the scheme but also capable of creating events and making an impact in the hidden areas of the game.
Okoro is active and attentive to his responsibilities coming across the lane in help defense and stepping up to the front of the rim as the last line of defense. He is not only a willing charge drawer but also a quick leaper off two feet to challenge shots via verticality or block a shot more regularly than just on occasion, as he’s averaged 1.2 blocks per 40 minutes so far this season.
Okoro does play with a good deal with energy jumping passing lanes but his below average six-foot-eight wingspan for someone with his height has prevented him from being a truly elite playmaker in that area, as he’s averaged a somewhat disappointing 1.3 steals per 40 minutes.
Perhaps more impressive of all regarding his defensive chops, though, are the plays he makes that don’t get tracked in the boxscore.
Okoro has shown very good awareness switching on the fly, either to make up for a breakdown or to scram teammates out of bad matchups in the post.
Besides blocking some shots and challenging them via verticality at the rim, Okoro has also made a few preventive rotations that discouraged opposing drivers from taking it all the way to the basket from time-to-time. That sort of awareness suggests he can maybe develop into a big wing who can steal minutes at center in the future, which can be of great value for a league that has increasingly toyed around with the idea of giving up on the concept of a center over the last few years.
Okoro can also run shooters off the line and stay attached off the bounce, showing remarkable body control with his hard closeouts.
And though he’s collected just 8.9% of opponents’ misses when he’s been on the floor, Okoro contributes to the rebounding process by mixing it up on scrums and boxing out whoever is nearby.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Isaac Okoro Of Auburn

The hype supporting Isaac Okoro's viability as a top 10 pick is mostly based on his defense, which is unusual because NBA teams tend to reach for shot creators and shot makers or seven-footers at the top of the draft.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Offense
The easiest way to project him on offense is as a spot-up shooter but his shooting is probably the most underdeveloped aspect of his skillset at this point.
His release does not seem particularly broken or anything but probably needs all sorts of adjustments to become more consistent and repeatable on an every attempt-basis, especially if contested, as the structure of his approach tends to disintegrate completely when he is sped up by a closeout.
Okoro has missed 44 of his 60 three-point attempts and 19 of his 22 two-point jumpers so far this season. The touch looks good enough for him to be expected to improve with some better guidance and more directed focus into what will probably be his swing skill in the pros, but he has hit just two thirds of his 110 foul shots, which raises some skepticism over whether that’s really true.
At this point of his development, Okoro is the most threatening as a scorer on straight-line drives. He hasn’t shown a particularly explosive first step, a whole lot of side-to-side shake or any sort of resourcefulness operating in isolation, so most of those drives tend to take place against a scrambling defense.
And while taking off out of a ball reversal, attacking a closeout or off a live dribble, Okoro has proven himself capable of getting all the way to the basket in volume, relying on his strength to maintain his balance and his momentum forward through contact or by mixing in the occasional spin move to maneuver his way through traffic – taking 62.9% of his live-ball attempts at the rim, while averaging 5.7 foul shots per 40 minutes.
He is an explosive leaper off one foot with time and space to go up off momentum but can also gallop into two-foot leaps to adjust his way around a rim protector stepping up between him and the basket or elevating into that rim protector’s chest to neutralize a potential shot blocking threat. Okoro has also unleashed a well-coordinated euro-step in some of these instances as well.
Though he hasn’t shown a particularly versatile arsenal as a finisher, Okoro has impressed with his touch around the basket, especially with his left hand – converting his shots at the rim at a 67.6% clip, with 70.2% of his 94 makes unassisted.
There are a few possessions where he’s had the opportunity to run a side pick-and-roll to keep the offense moving and his passing has been eye catching in some of these instances (13.3% assist rate), but those plays are few and far between within his overall profile right now and not enough to presume confidently what he could look in a real shot creation role.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Isaac Okoro Of Auburn

The hype supporting Isaac Okoro's viability as a top 10 pick is mostly based on his defense, which is unusual because NBA teams tend to reach for shot creators and shot makers or seven-footers at the top of the draft.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Prospect Report: Tyrese Haliburton Of Iowa State

it’s fair to say that Tyrese Haliburton’s rise has been somewhat meteoric.
Besides being ranked 172nd in the 2018 high school class [1], the six-foot-five lead guard also had a fairly quiet first year at Iowa State last season – averaging just 8.2 points per 40 minutes on a staggeringly low 9.1% usage rate, though while posting 66.6% true shooting and turning the ball over just 28 times in 35 appearances.
Haliburton then made the United States team sent to Crete, Greece to compete at the U19 World Cup last summer and excelled as one of the top shot creators on the team, earning All-Tournament honors at the end.
His percentages were as efficient against that level of competition as they were in his first year of collegiate basketball, with the 19-year-old leading the tournament in offensive rating and effective field goal percentage while turning the ball over just eight times in 174 minutes.
Back to Iowa State for his sophomore season, Haliburton was expected to take on a more prominent role within the offense as a sophomore and that has turned out to be the case so far, though it’s also fair to point out that his average of 17.2 points per 40 minutes on 13.2 field goal attempts per 40 minutes and his 20.9% usage rate are still short of what is usually associated with a guard projected to end up a top 10 pick, as he is currently ranked fifth on ESPN’s top 100, at the time of writing.
Maybe his rise to stardom says more about the general perception of a lack of superstar potential in this class or maybe the NBA is starting to adjust its view on what types of players it is looking for in the draft. If Haliburton does end up getting drafted ahead of guys like Cole Anthony and Tyrese Maxey, which are more in line with the types of lead guards the league has most often sought at the top of the order in the recent past, it might signal a potential shift in priorities.
That’s the case because Haliburton is not a volume scorer or an imposing physical presence. He doesn’t get to the rim a whole lot and earns very few free throws too.
What he brings to the table at this point of his development is intelligent execution within the flow of the offense, profiling as a caretaker point guard who can accommodate a ball dominant wing by being able to nail open shots, despite his unorthodox release, and create for others off a live dribble.
What that means is that Haliburton is likely to look better, or make more of an impact, when surrounded by better players. That’s obviously true for every player, but I’d argue it’s of particular importance for good “team players” like Haliburton.
But on a team with mediocre talent around him, he is probably unlikely to be viewed as a driver of success because he is not perceived as the sort of threat to score 30 that defenses fear the most. Considering that and the fact that he plays on a team that has lost nine out of 17 games so far, it would seem perhaps unlikely that his value would be properly matched with such a high investment. That’s why a potential top 10 selection would be somewhat surprising, historically speaking.
On the other end, Haliburton is pretty tenacious heating up the opposing ball handler and has shown a knack for creating events, not just reaching around for strips or jumping passing but even picking up a block quite regularly.
But despite his height, he doesn’t offer a lot of versatility as a defender yet because of his thin 175-pound frame, which probably restricts him to being viewed as more of a one-position defender at this point of his physical development.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Tyrese Haliburton Of Iowa State

Maybe Tyrese Haliburton's rise to stardom says more about the general perception of a lack of superstar potential in this class or maybe the NBA is starting to adjust its view on what types of players it is looking for in the draft.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Off-Ball Offense
The Oshkosh, Wisconsin native has more shot creation responsibility than he did last season but still spends an unexpected amount of time as an off guard in order to accommodate Prentiss Nixon and Rasir Bolton – two smaller guards with whom he regularly shares the court with.
55.2% of his field goals have come from three-point range and he’s been assisted on 81.6% of his makes from such a distance [2].
Haliburton gets little elevation off the ground as a near-standstill shooter and launches what looks like a set shot at times. He used to get the ball out almost from the side of his head but now does it from in front of his face. Given his unusual bring-up motion and the low point of his release, he doesn’t dip for rhythm and has proven himself able of getting the ball out fairly quickly.
His shooting motion is not what many would call natural but it’s become more fluid and less mechanic than it was even in the summer and, besides the basic spot-ups, Haliburton has even flashed some ability to get shots off on the move – relocating off a passing sequence initiated by a drive of his, around the wing off roll-and-replace, to the ball for handoffs and off a pindown screen.
These tougher looks don’t go in a whole lot yet, but he is doing very well as an open-shot shooter – nailing 38.8% of his 98 three-point shots this season, at a pace of 6.7 such attempts per 40 minutes, after hitting 43.4% on 113 long-range bombs as a freshman.
Haliburton has also hit 73.2% of his 56 foul shots in his collegiate career to date, signaling his touch seems to be above suspicion.

On-Ball Offense
His pull-up shooting ability is a little more unproven.
He’s nailed just seven unassisted three-pointers this season and isn’t as adept at rising off the bounce as he is off the catch at this point of his development, especially in terms of cutting a drive short and elevating with suddenness.
Haliburton has shown glimpses of a nifty handle taking his man one-on-one but doesn’t have an explosive first step, a whole lot of speed with the ball or side-to-side quickness to shake his defender off balance.
As is, he is more capable operating out of the pick-and-roll. Haliburton can pull-up from long-range if the on-ball defender goes under the pick and doesn’t recover in time to discourage him from working his way into his unorthodox release.
Against more capable point-of-attack defense, Haliburton has exceled at maneuvering his way around the ball-screen and inducing rotations while being economic with his dribbles.
He’s shown good feel for rejecting the pick or making use of re-screens and a knack for playing with pace while mixing in hesitation moves or changing speeds to engage the big man defender.
Haliburton has proven himself a good scorer from the in-between area, launching runners with good touch or leveraging his length into extended finishes around rim protectors keeping him from getting all the way to the basket – converting 45.7% of 46 two-point attempts away from the rim.
He’s also impressed with his court vision on crosscourt passes against the momentum of his body or jump-passes to the opposite corner and the timing of his delivers on pocket passes – assisting on 37.7% of Iowa State’s scores when he’s been on the floor this season. His turnover rate is not as remarkable as it used to be, due to the increased role operating off the dribble, but his 2.8 assist-to-turnover remains elite in this draft class, ranking first among players on ESPN’s top 100.
That said, Haliburton does not look to turn the corner decisively all that often and doesn’t pressure the rim a whole lot. Part of the problem is Iowa State’s lack of good shooting capable of opening up some clearer driving lanes for him but part of it is his athletic limitations in terms of speed, quickness and strength to withstand contact. He’s taken just 25.4% of his live-ball attempts at the rim and earned just 30 foul shots in 583 minutes this season. Not many of his assists have come after he touched the paint either.
Haliburton has, however, finished well at the basket the few times he’s gotten there – converting 73.5% of his looks at the rim, even if at a pace of just 1.6 unassisted makes per 40 minutes. He’s shown glimpses of power elevating strong off one foot if left unchallenged and flexibility to adjust his body in the air among the trees in the U19 World Cup, though he’s yet to prove he’s adept at using his left hand in these instances.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Tyrese Haliburton Of Iowa State

Maybe Tyrese Haliburton's rise to stardom says more about the general perception of a lack of superstar potential in this class or maybe the NBA is starting to adjust its view on what types of players it is looking for in the draft.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Defense
Haliburton has been asked to defend both on and off the ball at various times.
While defending shooters sprinting around the floor, his thin frame works in his favor as he chases around staggered screens quickly and his hustle to bother or even block a shot from behind is impressive.
In standard off ball defense, Haliburton is often active and leverages his speculated seven-foot wingspan into making plays in the passing lanes with deflections or steals (2.7 steals per 40 minutes this season), though he is prone to getting caught ball-watching on occasion.
He is attentive to his responsibilities rotating in to pick up the roll man and, besides getting his hands on pocket passes, has even flashed some bounce to disrupt a lob or block a shot with some regularity (39 blocks in 51 collegiate appearances and five blocks in seven appearances at the U19 World Cup).
His closeouts back to the three-point are urgent enough, though his best way of running the shooter off his shot tends to be selling out and opening up the gate.
Haliburton has also pitched in about as well as he can on the glass – collecting 13.3% of opponents’ misses when he’s been on the floor this season and mixing it up on scrums or attempting to helps the helper with a boxout, though his lack of physicality often results in him just getting pushed out of the way.
His defense is a lot more so-so on the ball.
He bends his knees to get down in a stance, ices ball-screens on the side of the floor, can get skinny cleanly while navigating over picks at the point of attack and puts in the effort to contest or block a shot from behind with decent effectiveness.
Haliburton has even switched on occasion and even shown some tenacity trying to front the post but lacks any sort of physicality to be put in that position often, though that sort of fight can sometimes be enough to deny a post entry to a lazy big who doesn’t feel like getting physical to push him out of the way.
But it’s in isolation where there is some reason for skepticism. Haliburton has gotten shook by shiftier types a fair amount, which is discouraging considering he projects as an on-ball defender who is supposed to check point guards on a nightly basis in the pros.
And when he’s managed not to get beat in the first step, he’s shown several lateral slides to stay attached and a knack to reach around for steals from time-to-time but also a lack of strength to chest up and contain dribble penetration through contact.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: Tyrese Haliburton Of Iowa State

Maybe Tyrese Haliburton's rise to stardom says more about the general perception of a lack of superstar potential in this class or maybe the NBA is starting to adjust its view on what types of players it is looking for in the draft.
basketball.realgm.com
 
Prospect Report: LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks

The development of LaMelo Ball has been extremely eventful, to say the very least. He was fast-tracked into high school in order to play with his brothers – part of a team whose style of play was profiled by The New York Times and The Ringer.
He was one of the headliners of what was, arguably, the single most hyped AAU game of all time.
When his father, LaVar Ball, got into a disagreement with the coach at Chino Hills and his brother, LiAngelo Ball, was suspended during his first few months at UCLA, LaMelo Ball signed with Lithuanian club Prienu Vytautas – with the idea that he wouldn’t play in the more competitive Lithuanian LKL and only suit up in the less competitive Baltic League.
The plan disintegrated once Vytautas abandoned the Baltic League soon upon his arrival with his father and the team organizing a pirate tournament sponsored by his father’s apparel company to make up for the lost games instead. He eventually logged 102 minutes in the Lithuanian LKL but left the team to return to the United States prior to the end of the season.
After a few months playing in a pirate league organized by his father in the summer of 2018, he enrolled at SPIRE Institute to play his senior year of high school in Ohio and ended up the 21st-ranked recruit in the 2019 class[1].
Almost certainly expected to be ruled ineligible by the NCAA to play in college given his professional experience and shoe deal with his father’s company, he then signed with the Australian NBL through their “Next Stars” initiative and was assigned to the Illawarra Hawks – a team that finished seventh out of nine teams last season.
Incredibly enough, when you consider everything listed above, he only turned 18 last August[2].
Perhaps even more incredibly when you consider his path to this point, LaMelo Ball is now the top-ranked player in next year’s draft[3].
That’s the case because he’s had the most productive first couple months of any prospect in this class.
Said to be taking the experience in Australia a lot more seriously than the one he had in Lithuania, Ball has completely turned around the perception many had of him and refocused people’s attentions to his attributes on the court.
His team in Australia is arguably as bad as the one he played for in Lithuania. At the time of writing, Illawarra has lost 11 of its 14 games and ranks last in the NBL standings. That has probably played to his favor, though. The lack of top-tier talent around him has offered Ball the opportunity to run offense, log 27.2% usage, average 21.9 points per 40 minutes on 44.5% effective shooting and get good exposure.
This positive stretch has been put on pause by a foot injury that is expected to hold him out for another three weeks, but Ball seems to have done enough already to consolidate his status as a likely top five pick

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks

Prospect Report LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks - RealGM Analysis
basketball.realgm.com
 
Passing
Ball has assisted on 36.9% of Illawarra’s scores when he’s been on the floor this season - which ranks second in the league.
He is the primary ball handler on the team, especially after Aaron Brooks tore his Achilles a few weeks ago – responsible for pushing the ball up the court in transition, Initiating actions in the halfcourt and running middle high pick-and-roll when things bog down late in the shot clock.
His court vision is his most impressive skill at this point of his development, which is made evident through his long outlet passes and his advanced reads off a ball-screen.
Ball can see over smaller defenders on the move and in traffic thanks to his six-foot-five height[4]. He’s shown good patience manipulating his defender into re-screens and proven himself capable of hitting the roll man over the top consistently, besides launching hook passes against the momentum of his body to the opposite corner with either hand quite aggressively.
The cost of that aggressiveness as a shot creator for others is that Ball turns the ball over quite a bit as well as he’s averaged 3.2 giveaways per 40 minutes.
But the positives of his frequent attempts to thread the needle and the flair with which he plays mostly outweigh the negatives, as Ball has also impressed with the timing of his deliveries on pocket passes, behind-the-back bounce feeds to the roll man, lobs, drop-offs and skip passes to big men in the pick-and-pop.

Scoring
His scoring is not as far along as his passing.
His 21.9 points per 40 minutes are coming on 20.7 field goal attempts and 4.9 free throw attempts per 40 minutes.
Ball does most of his work in middle high pick-and-roll. He has a tight handle and good feel for manipulating his defender into the ball-screen but doesn’t have an explosive first step or particularly impressive speed attacking downhill.
He can go up with some power off momentum if left unchallenged on his path to the rim, but is generally not an explosive leaper off one foot in traffic.
His finishing package is promising. Ball can hang and adjust his body in the air, is flexible enough to double clutch mid-flight, flashes his left hand as an asset on scoop finishes from time-to-time, shows impressive touch on right-handed finger roll finishes, leverages his length on extended finishes, unleashed a wrong foot-wrong hand layup at one point, and gets to the foul line a fair amount.
He doesn’t blow by his man one-on-one all that often, unless he gets a big on a switch and that guy completely bites on his hesitation move or his crossover. And though he does quite a bit of dancing with the ball, Ball has also shown only so-so shiftiness for the most part.
But he is pretty resourceful in his attempts to attack in isolation – able to go to a sick in-and-out dribble to get his defender to take a false step, maintain his balance through contact despite his lean 190-pound frame in the context of his height and pivot into a well-coordinated spin move to get into the lane.
Ball doesn’t get to the basket as much as he could, though.
Part of it is that he isn’t all that fast with the ball. Another part of it is that his team doesn’t offer him all that many clean driving lanes by tying up the help. Another part is that Ball has shown a strong preference for relying on his runner – most often seeming more comfortable snaking the pick-and-roll into setting up a floater rather than getting downhill on a straight line drive or turning the corner to get all the way to the goal or rising for an elbow pull-up.
And it has not proven to be a winning formula, as he’s shot just 46.4% on two-pointers so far.
Ball has also been a poor pull-up shooter, so opponents are not incentivized to try running him off his shot. Ball sets an unorthodox base and goes through unorthodox mechanics in his jumpers – a two-hand shot, released from in front of his face.
He has taken a few side-step pull-ups from time-to-time and his jumper off going between the legs in a pinch can look pretty sleek but it’s rare to see him attempt a step-back jump-shot or managing to create separation and elevating comfortably while going to his left. Ball also needs to get great elevation in order to shoot over contests, given the launch point of his low release.
If he can get his shot off uncontested, Ball has proven he is a capable shot maker, even from deep NBA range. But he’s shot just 27.9% from three-point range so far this season, at a pace of 8.4 such attempts per 40 minutes.
Ball tends to be a more reliable shooter off the ball, with his feet set. He has a quick trigger due to compact mechanics and gets a good arc on his spot-up three-pointers.
But, while he’s taken a few shots sprinting to the ball for hand-offs, it’s unclear for now if Ball can offer versatility as a shooter on the move.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks

Prospect Report LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks - RealGM Analysis
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Individual Defense
Mostly perceived to be a disinterested defender in his mid-teens, Ball has improved that perception a lot on that end, at least in terms of defending on the ball.
He consistently bends his knees to get down in a stance, works to go over picks at the point of attack, moves his feet laterally to try staying attached to smaller players out in space and puts in the effort to contest pull-ups.
But despite his best efforts, he is mostly uneven, at best.
Ball struggles to get skinny navigating over picks and gets stuck quite a bit. He does try hustling in pursuit to try making plays from behind but rarely succeeds in blocking a shot, contesting effectively or discouraging an attempt. Opponents sometimes go out of their way to try putting him in the pick-and-roll to try opening the gates of Illawarra’s defense.
Ball has found himself switched onto bigger plays on occasion and has shown glimpses of tenacity trying to front the post and prevent an easy seal but that sort of feistiness on defense is usually hit-and-miss from him and he lacks the strength needed to be considered a reliable option to exchange onto these types regularly.
He’s been more effective defending in isolation - showing decent lateral quickness to stay in front of smaller players more often than not and leveraging his length into reaching around for some steals, though rarely playing with enough physicality to chest up and contain dribble penetration through contact.

Team Defense
Ball is a very good rebounder for someone at his position - having collected 22.2% of opponents’ misses when he’s been on the floor this season. He is pretty quick chasing the ball off the rim and has even shown some diligence boxing out whoever is close by, though he is not very physical with it.
Although he overdoes it some by misreading his chances and hunting for them when he shouldn’t, Ball has flashed a knack for jumping passing lanes and is averaging 2.0 steals per 40 minutes - ranking fifth in the league in total steals, at the time of writing.
But other than relying on his instincts to create events, he has not proven himself an asset in other areas of team defense, such as position and help.
Ball does not stay in a stance off the ball and rarely assists in packing the lane by clogging driving lanes. He has shown glimpses of being able to block a shot on basic help defense reads but doesn’t rotate in to pick up the roll man a whole lot.

basketball.realgm.com

Prospect Report: LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks

Prospect Report LaMelo Ball Of The Illawarra Hawks - RealGM Analysis
basketball.realgm.com
 
Devin Vassell Scouting Report


I. Offense
Pluses
  • Legitimate above-the-head release on his jumpshot with a high trajectory. Shows great wrist involvement and has a quick release. Vassell demonstrates solid footwork and preemptive rhythmic adjustments to optimize fluidity in C&S situations, where he possesses distinctly natural shooting ability. Has a respectable one-dribble pull-up in his repertoire which can be particularly effective when he gets both feet planted and parallel. Does not need momentum to remain efficient in C&S instances, evidenced by his incorporation of pump-fakes and the involved efficiency
  • Doesn’t possess outlier strength levels by any means, but has a distinct ability to re-calibrate in mid-air to get the shot off in a controlled fashion with both hands. This has positive implications for scoring in traffic and with his ability to develop as a more dynamic on-ball presence at the next level
  • Shows decent scoring equity overall: higher difficulty jumpers, legitimate floor-stretching, nice touch and body control with his floater game. Has an established step-back move with nice fluidity and separation, however infrequently utilized (has shown glimpses of a lefty in-out dribble leading into this). He has thrown in some live-dribble pull-up 3’s here and there. Vassell’s motor certainly stands out versus contemporaries, and his activity off-ball is no exception—cuts are made with purpose, and he crashes the offensive glass whenever he sniffs out an opportunity; can be penciled in for a few transition points per game from effort/speed alone
  • As a secondary or tertiary option, aptly fills his role as a passer by moving the ball with purpose and in a timely manner. Habitually hits the skip pass when the defensive loads up on the strong side. Wastes no time throwing a lead pass to capitalize in transition. Predominantly a two-handed or right-handed passer, but has flashed the ability to kick-out with nice velocity from his left and isn’t afraid to involve this hand during basic feeds. Is capable of skying and reassessing as teammates present an option, or in using the threat of his jumper to pull in the defense and dish it off in mid-air. Has demonstrated a proper awareness and timing with lobbing to the big as the defense commits
Minuses
  • In live-dribble situations, Devin generates many of his advantages through consistent effort rather than through skill and craft. Has a relatively uninspiring offensive repertoire with the live dribble: heavily relies on sheer height of his release, and is often forced to revert to the left shoulder spin into a hand-transfer dribble which tends to effectively end the sequence
  • Has not shown evidence of a face-up or back-to-the-basket game in the post
  • Gets blocked on a high number of attempts of his slashes. This is in part by virtue of his lack of mass, and in part due to Vassell’s propensity to “sky and adjust” rather than play through contact in the lane. There are also strong indicators that Vassell is reliant on a two-footed leap to get proper vertical explosion
  • Unspectacular dribbler for his size/archetype. Somewhat limited shake–hang dribble and spin-move are about the most you will see, with virtually no multi-move sequences. Left is noticeably weaker than his right: in extended dribbling sequences, we can see the dribble height creep towards his chest line with the ensuing pass being prone to losing accuracy. Generates a decent percentage of his turnovers due to handling errors alone
  • May be limited in tight C&S scenarios/floppy-type actions. Isn’t the most agile at rounding corners (see below). Likes to insert an extra dribble coming off the screen to allow himself to get both feet set under him, which shortens his window and allows for less flexibility
  • Has not demonstrated the ability to get the line reliably
Questions to Consider
  • What sort of post game potential might Vassell possess, particularly with an ability to spin away from the defense?
  • How would he perform in an environment where he is asked to do less spotting up and more slashing/distributing?
  • How probable is it that he will make notable improvements with one-footed finishes?
www.thestepien.com

Devin Vassell Scouting Report - The Stepien

I. Offense Pluses Legitimate above-the-head release on his jumpshot with a high trajectory. Shows great wrist involvement and has a quick release. Vassell demonstrates solid footwork and preemptive rhythmic adjustments...
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II. Defense
Pluses
  • Tremendous motor both on- and off-ball. Hands are always up/out, he contests with purpose, closes out hard, and sprints back in transition. Shows essentially no desire to conserve energy–will do anything and everything to make his presence felt, even if it may involve leaping for a contest from 12 feet out. If beat, battles with every ounce of energy to recover and remain competitive
  • Has demonstrated a keen ability to close out with speed and intent while involving appropriate deceleration and balance to contest the shot, enabling him to stay under control
  • One of the most active “team defender” wings in recent memory. Hounds the passing lanes. Wreaks havoc by digging down on slashers, cutters, and post-ups, nearly laying out his full body to maximize length. Vassell gets involved in a high number of shot contests from a help position via traveling from the weakside or by giving supplemental rim protection from behind. Has shown the capacity to intelligently zone up and cover multiple men to effect
  • Terrific communicator. Sees developing off-ball action and relays the message accordingly. Utilizes switch-heavy scheme to effect (though does struggle to effectively front/bang with legitimate bigs)
  • As an on-ball defender, shows great reads in regards to the opposition’s intended path. Vassell will often stick with even the quickest of crossovers as he shows a minimal shift and does not over-commit to the initial fake. Is a clear positive in terms of raw horizontal speed production
  • Provides a legitimate presence around the rim (see: verticality and contests from behind especially); is a plus on the defensive glass
  • Covers nice ground on closeouts: reaction speed, length, and speed work in tandem
Minuses
  • Can get overzealous in protecting the passing lanes, during which he may over-commit in anticipation or whiff on a hard gamble
  • Gets caught up in the air versus a large percentage of the pump-fakes he encounters
  • Lack of mass is limiting: unable to fend off players in the post who are intent on backing down, players with a head of steam can push through him on finishes. Too easily concedes positioning when he is shadowing instead of working to re-insert his chest to limit angles/ascension ability
  • A noticeable degree of “rockiness” in his directional changes at higher speeds, as he uses his back (pivot) foot to propel himself horizontally while the other hip swings. From a standstill position, Devin also shows a lot of wobbly action; sprinting out of the blocks is not his forte
  • Keeps himself in the play with high level turn-and-run speed, effort output, and superior reaction speed. However, East-West hip-swaps do not share the same level of crispness; quick directional shifts during a closeout also indicate potential tightness in hip region
  • Could do better with positioning tactics to avoid contact with incoming screens
Questions to Consider
  • To this point, Vassell has not been been forced to defend a lot of off-ball screen action versus shooters. As his stability and relative quickness both appear to take hits at lower speeds, how will this translate to the next level where these types of actions are more prevalent?
  • Vassell certainly isn’t afraid to get up into his opponents, but can he develop a willingness to chest-bump moving targets and take charges?

www.thestepien.com

Devin Vassell Scouting Report - The Stepien

I. Offense Pluses Legitimate above-the-head release on his jumpshot with a high trajectory. Shows great wrist involvement and has a quick release. Vassell demonstrates solid footwork and preemptive rhythmic adjustments...
www.thestepien.com www.thestepien.com
 
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