LaMelo Ball Rumors: PG Could Fall out of Top 3 Amid Buzz of Poor Interviews

LaMelo Ball is widely considered one of the best players in the 2020 NBA draft class, but the 19-year-old reportedly could end up waiting longer than anticipated to hear his name called. 

Per The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor, Ball "could fall out of the top three" because of struggles he's had in workouts and during interviews with teams. 

During an Oct. 28 appearance on WFNZ's Wilson & Parcell (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman), Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer said Ball is "not improving his perception via job interview" and teams in the bottom half of the top 10 "are doing more research on him" in the belief he could slide.

O'Connor has the Washington Wizards trading up three spots to select Ball sixth overall in his latest mock draft, and he seems to be in the mix for all of the teams picking at the top of the draft.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported in late October that Ball met with the owners of the Minnesota Timberwolves and is scheduled to talk to the Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls. 

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Ball ranked as the top overall prospect in this year's class:

"In a vacuum, he is my top prospect because of his positional size (6'7" point guard) and unteachable passing instincts and skill, a combination that appears guaranteed to translate to high-level playmaking and assists. But I also have confidence that Ball will develop into a scorer despite his underwhelming percentages in Australia."

Ball is coming to the NBA after an abbreviated 2019-20 season in Australia with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League. He averaged 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists in 12 games but only shot 37.5 percent from the field and 25.0 percent from three-point range. 

The Timberwolves own the first pick in this year's draft, followed by the Warriors, Hornets, Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The 2020 NBA draft will be held virtually on Nov. 18.