The 2020 Draft is still impacting the league with the best players from that draft class now entering their prime. Zach Lowe interviewed Minnesota Timberwolves beat writer Jon Krawczynski at a live show and received a shocking story about the draft process that year. Minnesota had to choose between the top three prospects of Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball.
All three had great potential entering the draft and each held a respectable argument for being deserving of the Timberwolves top pick. Krawczynski shared a story about Minnesota interviewing all three prospects before deciding on Edwards. Ball had a strong chance until he said something truly shocking in the interview.
“They had an interview with LaMelo Ball during this process trying to figure out, ‘Is this the guy for us?’ LaMelo did not interview very well. One of the questions they asked was, ‘Hey LaMelo, after you’re done playing, what do you see yourself doing when your career is over?’ And LaMelo said, ‘I want to be president of the United States.’”
Why Minnesota Passed On LaMelo Ball
Immaturity was an issue for the point guard entering the league along with questions about his controversial path there. Ball opted to play internationally instead of going to college in the United States like most prospects. Controversial father Lavar Ball made bold comments about LaMelo’s brother Lonzo Ball to create huge headlines in the sports world.
The Ball family received their own reality series before LaMelo even had the credibility of a future star. Credit should be given to LaMelo for his work ethic and improvement turning him from a risky prospect to a top three pick. However, Minnesota felt his comment about becoming President one day was too far out there to trust.
Edwards took the interview more seriously and expressed his commitment to being a franchise player. The Timberwolves clearly made the right choice, as Edwards had led them to two Western Conference Finals. Minnesota only made it that far once in franchise history before finding their current franchise player.
LaMelo Ball Still Has Strange Reputation
The on-court results of Ball are hard to deny when seeing him play. LaMelo scores and assists at a high level to make the Charlotte Hornets an exciting watch. The Golden State Warriors made the biggest mistake of that draft by taking Wiseman with the second pick over Ball and other better players.
Unfortunately, health has been the biggest flaw for LaMelo and the rest of the Hornets. Ball and Brandon Miller could be a dynamic duo, but they are rarely on the court together due to injuries. More immaturity issues also continue to haunt the point guard with moments of him breaking unwritten rules or not taking the game seriously during losses.
Minnesota feared they’d run into that problem since LaMelo was silly enough to talk about his goal of becoming President when discussing his NBA future. It remains unrealistic to imagine Ball ever being as great of a superstar as Edwards to confirm the Timberwolves made the right choice. However, LaMelo has been the third best player of that class behind Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton.
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