Isiah Thomas, Chauncey Billups ... LaMelo Ball?
The Pistons are in need of a point guard, and Ball might be the best one in the draft. It's a natural fit, according to his father -- especially with a coach in Detroit who's known for developing young talent.
Asked where he thinks LaMelo might be headed in the draft, which takes place Nov. 18, LaVar Ball recently told The Pascal Show, "You'll get a small hint. I want him either in New York or Detroit, one of those."
Not LA, where the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball second overall in 2017?
“I already had a son in LA with a raggedy-ass coach," said Ball. "So it don’t matter where you go, the key is to have the right coach behind you. That's why when people ask me, 'Where you want Melo to go?' This is where I want Melo to go: anywhere where a coach is going to believe in him."
Dwane Casey, the NBA Coach of the Year in 2017-18, has a strong track record when it comes to working with young players. But barring a move up the draft board, it's unlikely the Pistons, currently picking seventh, will have a shot at Ball.
Same goes for Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks, who are picking eighth. Ball is expected to be selected within the first three picks.
The Pistons scouted Ball last season when he was playing professionally in Australia, posting 17.0 points and 6.8 assists over 12 games. He returned home after a foot injury and has been training for the past several months in Detroit under the supervision of former NBA player and Detroit native Jermaine Jackson.
"That young man has a lot of talent, there’s no questions about it," Pistons senior advisor Ed Stefanski said in March. "And we were able to see him (before the coronavirus shutdown), we had a scout there for a while overseas in Australia to watch."
Stefanski said the Pistons wouldn't be wary of drafting Ball because of the outspoken ways of his father.
"I don’t have any real issues, and I don’t think I’m naïve because I’ve been in the league a long time and I’ve had a lot of experience," he said. "You have to be careful sometimes on parents (when) they have the kids’ ears, but in the NBA the parents are not anywhere near like they would be in a high school or an AAU team or a college team.
"So I’ve never really concerned myself, and I’ve had some big-time stars with parents who care about their son and maybe (do) a little helicopter parenting. But that really has not affected the NBA. So I’m not concerned about that with any parent."