LaMelo Ball may be slipping and falling. Will the Suns pick him up?

LaMelo Ball has the chance of being the superstar that is missed in this year’s NBA draft. He’s noowhere near the level of a player like Luka Doncic of course, but questions and concerns about his workout interviews raises eyebrows, pulling him further down the draft board.

If LaMelo’s eyes remain frozen on live stream an hour into the draft, do the Suns make a run at him?

Dan Feldman of NBC Sports did us a favor and wrote out what Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer originally reported:

“Here is what I’m hearing from the league at large: LaMelo Ball is not performing very well at job interviews. I’ve heard that from multiple sources. He is not improving his perception via job interview. There are people drafting later in the top ten who were not preparing for the possibility of Ball still being around. And I’m not saying that he will not be a top-three pick. I am saying that I know for a fact that there are teams later in the top ten who are doing more research on him, because they no longer think it’s a given he will.”

The pre-draft interviews in my opinion tend to not matter as much. Suns fans may remember the story of Kawaii Leonard bringing too much sweat to a pre-draft interview, nixing him as a potential pick.

After being in love with LaMelo for a short-while, I have been hiding my affection more and more lately. Playing at the small forward position next to Devin Booker and Ricky Rubio was a dream of mine and might have a higher chance of coming true. That would make for three very good ball distributing guards on the floor at once but also have the upside of Bookers shot and Rubio’s rise in 3-point percent from this last year.

But the more podcasts I listen to the more I hear about his surrounding draft-class mates going ahead of him.

The Ringers- Kevin O’Conner’s draft guide has LaMelo at No. 3 on this Big Board but going No. 4 in the draft to the Chicago Bulls. Even Kevin, along with Bill Simmons of The Ringer show little excitement now for the young man. The Bulls pick may be the perfect situation for LaMelo.

There is a lot of pressure too on LaMelo, after his father Lavar Ball anointed him the best out of the Ball Brother. Like every father should, let millions of people know who your favorite son is. Leading his brother Lonzo Ball and the other brother in superstar potential, the only real question is how he handles that pressure.

LaMelo is 6’7” and can pass the hell out of the ball and of course will need to work on his shot... but he is for sure a gym rat. Skipping college to remain focused on basketball is a huge plus and even if he may lack the shooting mechanics but it is very possible to improve. It took Booker 4-5 years to take his playmaking skills to an almost elite level and Rubio a full season to improve his jump shot. LaMelo remains loyal to the game and can learn from both Booker and Rubio as leaders.

But don’t get too excited as Jonathan Givony of ESPN stated:

“Projected No. 1 pick LaMelo Ball met with the Minnesota Timberwolves, owners of the top selection in the NBA draft, on Tuesday, a source told ESPN.”

And:

“He is tentatively scheduled to interview with the Golden State Warriors early next week; they have the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft. The expectation is that Ball also will interview with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, who pick third and fourth.”

If LaMelo drops to all the way to the #10 pick, the Suns would be crazy to miss, right?