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NBA Draft 2020: Latest Report Says Golden State Warriors Seriously Considering LaMelo Ball

Published 11/09/2020, 3:00 PM EST

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The Golden State Warriors have an important month ahead of them. They have the #2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Given their performances last season without the likes of the Splash Brother (Steph and Klay) due to injury and the loss of Kevin Durant to free agency, they will be looking to reload and run it back.

For the Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson’s return is a massive boost. The two players returning to full fitness means that the Warriors will be title contenders from the Western Conference yet again. But they are no longer the outright dominant team in the West that they used to be.

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Kevin Durant’s loss in 2019 dealt a huge blow to them. Considering how Durant made them virtually unbeatable, with them having two former MVPs on the same team, and two of the Top-5 players in the NBA.

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With KD gone, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green will want to prove that they didn’t need Durant. But the Warriors do need depth. They have lost significant players aside from KD such as Andre Iguodala.

After a horrendous 2019-2020 season, where they failed to make the Playoffs for the first time since 2012, the Warriors will have extra motivation to do well this season.

LaMelo Ball an option for Golden State Warriors

There is a silver lining to last season. Steph and Klay got to recover fully due to the extended hiatus and not being invited to the Bubble.

Also, they were awarded the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. This pick will be crucial in the Warriors adding a significant weapon to their already dangerous team.

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An excellent draft pick could allow them to become the most dominant team in the NBA again. There have been many rumors about what the Warriors would do with the pick.

Many analysts suggested that they should use the pick in a trade to get another win-now superstar that could make them the team to beat in the NBA. But the Warriors will, as things stand, be entering the draft with their pick.

The standout prospect for the Warriors is James Wiseman. He’s a big center at 7’1 but has the athleticism and footwork of a point guard.

The ‘Dubs’ optimism about landing Wiseman shot up when reports emerged that he doesn’t want to go to Minnesota Timberwolves (who hold the #1 pick) due to the clash of positions with marquee player Karl-Anthony Towns.

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However, the Warriors know that Wiseman could go #1 anyway, and have made contingency plans. Reports are emerging that the Warriors are seriously considering LaMelo Ball as their pick if James Wiseman is taken.

The belief is that the Warriors’ ownership is asking the front office to pick LaMelo Ball. The report also states that there are both pro-Ball and anti-Ball advocates in the Warriors organization.

This report is odd, given that the Warriors’ ownership has great faith in the front office to work well and smart. But given Ball’s talent, he would make for an interesting second-overall pick.

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However, Ball does play point guard, a position held by Curry. The idea to get LaMelo Ball would not make much sense as he does not fill a position they are light in.

 

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Written by:

Aaditya Krishnamurthy

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Aaditya Krishnamurthy is an NBA & NFL journalist for EssentiallySports, before which he worked at BusinessWorld magazine. He has been a fan of Basketball for over 10 years now, since Shaquille O’Neal was a Phoenix Suns player. During his time at Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, he started a sports magazine for the college called the Overtime Tribune and hosted the Overtime Tribune Podcast until he graduated.
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