LaMelo Ball Might Force NBA Executives To Make Moves, Draws Cavaliers' Attention

NBA top prospect LaMelo Ball might force the NBA to make a move that would protect him from jeopardizing his NBA career.

Ball tremendously shook things up in the NBA this past few days and has now become a real no. 1 pick contender in the 2020 NBA Draft. The hype around Ball reached an all-time high last week, when the 18-year-old led the Illawarra Hawks to a win over the NBL defending champions, the Perth Wildcats, at the NBL Blitz in Tasmania.

As a result, the NBA is now reportedly planning to try to convince Ball to withdraw from NBL. According to USA Today, if Ball’s draft stock continues to rise over the next few months, some NBA executives fear he might not finish the 2019-20 NBL season to avoid injury.

“NBA executives are now rearranging their schedules to get Australia to see him because they’re afraid he might shut it down,” the NBA executive said.

Another anonymous NBA executive has expressed his thoughts about the recent performance by Ball in the NBL. According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the way Ball was perceived by an NBA executive was “completely changed” and even coaches and teammates uncovered a different side of Ball which could positively affect his future in the NBA.

"If he keeps this up, I don't see any way he isn't in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick. He completely changed my perception of the type of prospect he is, and all of the background info I gathered here from his coaches and teammates paint a very different story of what I thought about him off the court as well," the insider said.

Just recently, sources claimed that Ball delivered a strong and positive impression on Cleveland Cavaliers assistant general manager Mike Gansey during a recent scouting trip to Australia.

Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net reported that the youngest brother in the Ball family has garnered attention while playing professionally in NBL. It was also emphasized that Ball definitely got Gansey’s attention and at this point, Cavs apparently liked what they saw in Ball “quite a bit,” Cavaliers Nation reported.

“Overall, Gansey liked what he saw in Ball, and supposedly he liked it quite a bit. He’s not alone, as some are already calling Ball the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the next draf,” Amico wrote.

Aside from Ball, RJ Hampton of the New Zealand Breakers is being viewed as a top NBA prospect in the 2020 NBA Draft.