NBA: LaMelo Ball Quietly Building Rapport As Top Draft Prospect In 2020

Another Ball could be making waves in next year's NBA Draft. LaMelo Ball has been making waves over in Australia and a lot of pundits are left impressed. The 18-year-old has been showing off his handles and his ability to can it from the outside, enough to potentially elevate him as one of the top five prospects for the 2020-21 NBA season.

Although the 2020 NBA Draft is a long way to go, Ball is slowly carving out his niche. In a class where names such as James Wiseman, Cole Anthony, and Anthony Edwards loom as top draft candidates, Ball is now third on ESPN's mock draft. It may be too early but it does provide an inkling that this kid will soon follow his brother Lonzo Ball.

“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,” said one NBA executive who caught a glimpse of the 6-foot-6 guard to ESPN.

Some highlights of Ball's performance in the National Basketball League were recently shown. The 18-year-old guard dropped 20 points against the Perth Wildcats, putting on an impressive shooting display and seemingly knew where he should be on offense. He also looked good passing the ball to his teammate, clearly building a case that he has the offensive sock to play in the big leagues.

Things are vastly different in the NBA. He could bring that same in-game brilliance which any team would love. However, the clip showed only one-half of what LaMelo could do. How does he defend? How would he deal with peskier defenders in the NBA?

Obviously, there are plenty of questions that still need to be answered. For now, the only thing he has better than his brother Lonzo is his shooting stroke. His ability to facilitate remains suspect - something important if he is to blend in with any NBA team.

It may be too early to foresee if LaMelo will be picked up by NBA teams next year. He has the hops but equally important is how he can fit into the system of an NBA coach and a team's system.