Report: Trail Blazers Reach Out for Info on LaMelo Ball

The Portland Trail Blazers are among a handful of NBA teams who have reached out to Spire Academy for background information on 6’7 guard LaMelo Ball. The report comes courtesy of Adam Zagoria, writing for Forbes.com. Zagoria cites the Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors, and Cleveland Cavaliers digging for info prior to the 2020 NBA Draft, where Ball is projected as a high lottery pick.

Zagoria shares perspective on Ball that teams might acquire from a Spire Academy executive:

“LaMelo is a 6-foot-7-plus playmaker who sees the floor at an elite level,” Justin Brantley, the academy director at Spire, told me. “He makes everyone around him better and has shown that his game tends to get better as the level of competition rises around him. He plays above the rim, has more than serviceable range and although his form is ‘unorthodox,’ he shoots the ball well from 3. He has become a more motivated defender and has shown the work ethic, dedication and desire to get better and be an elite guard in the NBA.”

Zagoria’s article discusses Ball’s prospects, his connections with father, LaVar, and eldest brother, Lonzo, and far more insight from Brantley.

Ball will play in the National Basketball League of Australia for the 2019-20 season. He averaged 22 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds in his final season at Spire Academy last year.