Pos: PG (Illawara Hawks, NBL)
Age: 18
Height: 6 ft 7 in
Wingspan: 6 ft 10 in
Weight: 190 lbs

The Sales Pitch: Genius passer who not only can make any pass in the book from anywhere at 6-foot-7, but is not afraid to rewrite the book on passing entirely. Elite handle and unpredictability make up for middling athleticism, though he has surprisingly good acceleration. Doesn’t go all the way to the rim as much as he can, but come crunch time, he is unafraid to force the issue in the paint. Consistently makes his teammates better on offense. Bad jump shooter, but not as bad as Twitter has told you — consistently in the 70% range from the line, and could probably have been in the low 30% range from three if he didn’t take heat checks that would make Brandon Jennings blush. Defense is also not as bad as Twitter has told you, despite brain farts galore when he began in the NBL. If his shot becomes even passable, 18 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists per game will be in play thanks to the variety of threats he presents.

Check out The Strickland’s 2020 NBA Draft Big Board here!

Elite Traits/Skills: Passing and ball handling.

The Devil’s Advocate Argument: All the genius passing in the world won’t make up for weak efficiency. Even if the 3-ball gets to 35%, his frame isn’t conducive to drawing free throws, and his shooting form will never be conducive to mid range jumpers, so there is likely no part of the court inside the arc where he will be able to score efficiently. Even if his passing benefits the team, how much of that is negated by middling efficiency and potential below-average defense and spacing?

The Misconceptions: “He’s lazy, a ball hog, and gives no effort on defense.” There’s a few misconceptions about him. His shot selection was terrible for sure, but that was partly due to how bad his Illawarra team was and how little structure there was within the team. Similarly, his help defense improved as the season went on despite a parade of blowouts and injuries which could make even the most dedicated 18 year old take a few plays off. Lastly, it wasn’t uncommon to see him play off ball and cut, crash the glass, relocate, etc. He’s not disinterested in the little things so much as he is inconsistent.

Important Numbers:

• 17p/7.6r/6.8a: His strong volume stat line.

• 37/25/72: His ghastly FG/3P/FT slash line.

• 55%: His FG% at the rim in the half court. Not bad, not great.

• 3.85: Free throws attempted per game. Decent number, but getting that higher will be key for his efficiency.

• 50%: 3P% from the right wing.

Knicks Fit: Ideal. New York needs a lead guard who makes everyone better, and LaMelo has star upside on top of that. Immediately in the conversation for best passing Knick guard since…. ever. 

Educate yourself on some other potential Knicks: Killian Hayes, Anthony Edwards, Onyeka Okongwu