Michael Jordan appears to have got his man with the Charlotte Hornets selecting La Melo Ball as the third overall pick in Wednesday’s 2020 NBA Draft.

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LaMelo joins brother Lonzo in the NBA, while the often-forgotten middle sibling LiAngelo is playing in the developmental G-League. This caps off a successful albeit unorthodox journey to the big leagues for LaMelo, having opted to skip college basketball to play overseas.

Ball played first for BC Prienai in Lithuania, before making a move down under to join the Illawarra Hawks in the Australian NBL.

While the journey was successful for Ball, its peaks volumes to a much greater winner - the NBL. With the potential development and experience as a professional player, the sizable payday that significant prospects could garner, and a less rigorous schedule in Australia. We likely see more big-name talents heading down under for the mandated year before declaring for the draft.

Expect to see and hear more from the Hornets camp over the next two to four weeks. They’re stacked with young talent, and surely there is a trade or two on the cards.

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