The Phoenix Suns could be in the market for a point guard in this year’s NBA draft, but the one prospect they should steer clear from is LaMelo Ball.
The Phoenix Suns have a knack for signing the worst of a set of NBA brothers so while they haven’t yet brought in LiAngelo Ball from the G-League, I worry they would be eyeing the youngest Ball brother, LaMelo, is an impending lottery pick in the upcoming draft.
Most current mock drafts have Ball going before the Suns’ projected 10th overall pick, but if the ping pong balls bounce the Suns’ way for the first time in team history and they move up to the top three, James Jones and company should stay away from the baby Ball brother.
In fact, I think they should trade the pick no matter where it falls in the lottery, but based on Jones’ comments recently, that doesn’t look like it will happen. He said:
"“I’m excited about the draft. I know some people aren’t as high on the draft when it doesn’t have star power, or marketing power, or sexy names, but I see a lot of good basketball players and that’s what we’re looking for.”"
So, yeah. Phoenix Suns fans may as well kiss the hopes of a trade goodbye.
Jones also talked about how point guard and power forward are positions they may want to “augment,” which is a heck of a way to say, “Dario Saric and Ty Jerome aren’t as good as we hoped, so we are going to find a replacement for them.”
If they do go with a point guard, there are a lot of good options. LaMelo Ball is not one of them.
While he may be a stat sheet filler with this propensity to be a volume shooter, that’s not the kind of player that would be a good fit for a team that led the league in assists this season. With Monty Williams‘ team-based approach, bringing in a player like Ball seems to run counter to Williams’ philosophy.
On top of that, with Monty’s mantra, “Everything you want is on the other side of hard,” do they really want to bring in someone with all of the extra baggage that comes with a Ball brother?
Typically, you only have to worry about a player’s father when recruiting them to a college program, but here, that is not the case. Just imagining the amount of unnecessary air time LaVar Ball would get is exhausting. While it might draw new, curious eyeballs, “What is LaVar Ball going to say next?” is not the type of attention the Phoenix Suns should crave.
Then there is LaMelo himself. He just purchased the Australian team he plays on. Seriously. At 18 years old, he just bought a pro basketball team, and not only that, it’s the one he served as point guard this last season. I don’t know whether to be impressed or frightened, but I’m definitely bewildered.
For all those out there clamoring for Sarver to sell the Suns (admittedly, I’m one of those people on occasion), be careful what you wish for.
The Balls seem to have a take-over-the-world mentality. If the youngest Ball comes to Phoenix, there is no telling what comes with it. There might be Facebook shows, unreasonable demands, and Big Baller Brand kiosks set up everywhere.
Maybe he’s a good kid. I don’t know him. But “selfish” is a term thrown around a lot with him and buying the team he played for feeds into that.
Plus, if his older YouTube highlights are to be believed, there could be a lot of ball-hogging and selfish play on the court as well.
It’s just not worth it. If James Jones thinks there are a lot of good basketball players in this draft, then draft one of those guys.
The Suns have done a great job passing the ball this season. Pass on this Ball too.