LaMelo Ball's stock has never been higher, and his team is reportedly looking to strike while the iron is hot.
According to ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Ball thoroughly impressed NBA executives and scouts during the NBL Blitz pre-season tournament in Tasmania, so much so that he is now viewed as a Top 3 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. And with the potential to go inside the Top 3, Ball's camp has already begun exploring sneaker deals with different brands.
The 18-year old prospect, like his older brother Lonzo, has not been wearing any Big Baller Brand sneakers as of late and has instead been rocking Nikes during preseason action with the Illawarra Hawks. That said, it remains to be seen which brands Ball's team has been in talks with.
Givony reports that one NBA exec was completely floored by LaMelo's performance at the recent preseason tournament, and thinks the 6'7 point guard will certainly be in the conversation for the top pick in June's NBA Draft.
"If he keeps this up, I don't see any way he isn't in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick," one NBA executive told ESPN. "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."
LaMelo's first NBL game with the Illawarra Hawks will come on October 6 as they take on the Brisbane Bullets. That game, as well as other Hawks matchups, will be streamed via Facebook Live.