LiAngelo Ball declared for the NBA Draft, but he almost certainly won't be picked

LiAngelo Ball, the middle Ball brother and the least impressive basketball prospect, has declared for the 2018 NBA Draft, according to Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania. The 19-year old is currently playing basketball for Vytautas Prienu in Lithuania, along with his 16-year-old brother, LaMelo.

This is a no-brainer move for LiAngelo Ball, but there are no expectations that he will be selected in either round this June, despite his social media fame. Before he was detained for shoplifting in China during a preseason trip, Ball was slated to come off the bench for the UCLA Bruins this season. There is a very short list of players who are drafted despite coming off the bench for their college team, and they usually involve circumstances that don’t apply to Ball.

After the shoplifting charges and an indefinite suspension, Ball left UCLA, which led to his time overseas in Lithuania. In nine games this season on the reserve team, Ball has averaged about 16 points, three rebounds, and less than one assist, all while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 45 percent behind the arc. However, both LiAngelo and LaMelo were held scoreless when making their debut with the actual Vytautas Prienu club.

LiAngelo Ball’s declaration for the NBA Draft won’t affect his status on the club team, barring an NBA Combine invite. He can continue playing games up until June, when teams pick (or don’t pick) him with one of the 60 overall selections.

Is there any chance the Lakers draft him?

The argument for why Los Angeles would consider him is simple: LaVar Ball insists on it. Back in February, the elder Ball said that Lonzo Ball would leave the Lakers if they don’t sign his brothers. Alrighty, then!

There’s little meat to this threat, it’s safe to say, for a couple reasons.

The Lakers have team control over Lonzo Ball’s contract until the 2020-21 season, because that’s how every contract works for first round picks.
When Ball comes up in free agency in 2021, he will be a restricted free agent, which gives the Lakers rights to match any offer sheet that Ball would sign.

Sure, Ball could refuse to play or raise media attention or do any number of things to try to force the Lakers’ hand. But has Lonzo Ball, at any point, given the indication that he’s like his dad enough that he would demand his brothers be signed?

At best, I could see the Lakers extending a summer league invite to LiAngelo Ball, or perhaps even signing him to their G-League team. But if he’s simply not good enough, and most indications are that he’s not, then even that would be an insult to actual G-League players who do deserve a look, and bring unwanted attention down on the kid who’s just trying to get good enough at basketball to turn it into a career. It’s not fair to anyone involved, except the Ball patriarch, I guess, who gets to gloat.

So no: there’s almost no chance that LiAngelo Ball is drafted, despite his entry.

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