LaMelo Ball has been acclimating nicely to the NBA in his rookie season with the Charlotte Hornets, but it could have been happening for the Golden State Warriors.
Jalen Rose, on his “Jalen and Jacoby Podcast,” claimed that the Warriors had called Ball the night of the draft and informed him that they planned to select him.
Yet, when Golden State was on the clock, it selected 7-footer James Wiseman instead.
“I’ll give the Golden State Warriors a nod, too. I like what they’ve been doing, too,” Rose said. “And I know they could have taken LaMelo, but I know why they didn’t. And by the way, the night of the draft, the Golden State Warriors told LaMelo Ball they were going to take him next and they didn’t do it.
“…That story gonna come out soon.”
Rose said that the Warriors took Wiseman because they needed height to compete with the likes of Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, but that the franchise told Ball he would be the choice.
Rose said he knows this because he was part of a phone call with the Warriors afterward.
“Right after they got off the phone with LaMelo Ball’s team and telling them they were going to take him, I was a part of the next call,” Rose said. “As a matter of fact, I sent an internal text to our producer on [NBA] Countdown and told them that. And then 3, 2,1, the pick happens and they didn’t do it. True story.”
Hours before the draft, the Warriors were dealt a significant blow when Klay Thompson tore his Achilles.
Ball would have been an ideal fit to replace Thompson in the offense, but that would have created problems long term for whenever Thompson returned from his injury.
Rose did not explicitly state if Thompson’s injury was the reason they called Ball, but it makes sense that it may have been why they considered him.
It is still too early to tell what the right move was, but Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game through 26 games this season for Golden State.
Ball, meanwhile, is averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 assists, six rebounds and 1.1 steals per game over 35 games — putting himself in a favorable position for Rookie of the Year.
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