NBA Mock Draft 5.0: How high can Obi Toppin fly?
By Ian Levy
Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. LaMelo Ball. 1. player. 86.
The Timberwolves landed the top pick in this lottery simulation but there are no easy answers for them. They have a young core in place — Karl-Anthony Towns, Malik Beasley, Jarrett Culver, D’Angelo Russell — that’s heavy on offense skill and lighter on defensive upside. Taking LaMelo Ball may seem like a strange pick when they already have their point guard and two others (Beasley and Culver) who are probably high-touch secondary creators on any optimistic hypothetical iterations of this team. However, there isn’t an obvious 4 to pair with Towns that they could take in this top slot and Ball could let them lean into the extreme weirdness of this roster.
Ball might be a decent shooter and might be a decent defender, but those skills manifesting would just be icing on the cake for Minnesota. His passing and vision could help them string together various different lineups with length multiple threatening ball-handlers who can push the pace and attack. It might mean some high-scoring chaos (for both them and their opponents) but there isn’t a stable option that’s any more attractive.
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Learn more about LaMelo Ball with our full scouting report.