More than four years have passed since the 2020 NBA Draft, yet there remain murmurs of debate about the choice the Warriors made with the No. 2 overall pick.
They chose James Wiseman, a 7-foot-1 center with elite athleticism but an extra-thin resumé.
They could have selected LaMelo Ball, a 6-foot-5 point guard with a slightly deeper resumé but plays the same position as Golden State franchise player Stephen Curry. Charlotte used its No. 3 overall pick to select Ball.
The veteran and the upstart will see plenty of each other Monday when Curry and the Warriors meet Ball and the Hornets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Coverage on NBC Sports Bay Area begins at 3:00 p.m. PT, with tipoff scheduled for 4:10.
The favored Warriors (32-28) are playing well since acquiring Jimmy Butler III, winning seven of nine games. The Hornets (14-45), by contrast, have lost 15 of their last 17 games.
Though Curry and Ball won’t often defend each other, their influence almost certainly will have a significant impact on the outcome.
Rejuvenated by Butler’s arrival, Curry is averaging 30.4 points on 51.4-percent shooting from the field, including 42.6 percent from deep over the last nine games. It’s a massive improvement in efficiency relative to Curry’s 10 games before Butler.
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The Hornets are reeling. Since coming out of the All-Star break with an upset win over the Lakers in Los Angeles, they’ve lost six in a row – all but one by double digits. One of those losses was a 128-92 spanking by the Warriors on Feb. 25 at Chase Center.
Ball did not play in that game, and his presence makes the Hornets considerably more threatening. He’s averaging a team-high 26.1 points per game on 41-percent shooting from the field, including 33.4 percent beyond the arc. He has scored at least 25 points in 23 of his 37 games, including a 50-point outburst on Nov. 23 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Should the Warriors have drafted Ball instead of Wiseman? There is no question Ball has had the more productive career; he was selected as an All-Star in 2024. He also has several spectacular games each season.
But there is nothing to suggest Ball has the tools required to lead a winning team; the Hornets are bound for the draft lottery for the eighth consecutive year. Fellow point guards Tyrese Haliburton (selected 12th overall) and Tyrese Maxey (21st) have been more consistently proficient.
Considering Golden State’s needs in 2020, drafting Wiseman was a logical and defensible decision. Ball, considering where he landed, might have a different opinion.
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