In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers reversed their fortunes as a franchise when they landed the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and selected a high profile prospect who spent his high school career in Northeast Ohio.
Is it possible that history could repeat itself 17 years later?
OK, so maybe the comparison between LeBron James and LaMelo Ball isn't exactly apples to apples considering that James wasn't just a more highly touted player, but also spent his entire high school career in Akron as opposed to just one year. Nevertheless, Cavs fans may want to take note of the recent buzz building around Ball, who spent last season playing at SPIRE Institute in Geneva and is now playing professionally in Australia.
With the 2019-20 NBA season on the horizon, ESPN's Jonathan Givony has released his latest 2020 mock draft. And in doing so, he revealed that Ball has already become one of the draft's biggest risers and a player that some teams are considering worthy of being the No. 1 overall pick.
"Ball looked like an NBL MVP candidate," Givony wrote of Ball following his performance in the NBL Blitz preseason tournament. "He put up an impressive 19-point, 13-rebound, 7-assist performance against the defending-champion Perth Wildcats. Reigning defensive player of the year Damian Martin tried in vain to slow Ball but was completely unable to faze the 18-year-old. Ball showed similar sparks of potential in earlier preseason contests, most notably dropping 21 points on 11 shots against South East Melbourne."
"If he keeps this up, I don't see any way he isn't in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick," one NBA executive told ESPN. "He completely changed my perception of the type of prospect he is, and all of the background info I gathered here from his coaches and teammates paint a very different story of what I thought about him off the court as well."
That news should be of particular interest to Cavs fans, who despite adding three first-round picks this offseason will likely be watching another NBA Draft Lottery bound team in the coming year.
Coming off a 19-63 season, Cleveland lays claim to an over-under win total of 24.5 games for the 2019-20 campaign. That's good for the second-lowest win total in the entire NBA, with only the Charlotte Hornets (23) possessing lower expectations.
Should the Cavs land a top-five pick for a second straight year, it would likely put them in the mix to select Ball, who averaged 21.8 points, 8.9 assists and 8.8 rebounds in 24 games at SPIRE. While drafting Ball would mark the third straight year Cleveland used its top pick on a point guard, his size (6-foot-7) could make him an intriguing player to pair alongside Collin Sexton and/or Darius Garland.
"He plays with incredible pace. He's never sped up. He's never rattled by anything that's thrown at him," one scout told ESPN. "You're expecting something magical to happen every time he has the ball. He sees everything. He can make every pass with either hand off a live dribble. His style of play is tailor-made for the NBA game, especially if you surround him with shooting and better finishers."
Ball -- whose older brother, Lonzo Ball is a point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans -- currently ranks as Givony's No. 3 prospect in the 2020 draft, behind Memphis center James Wiseman and Georgia guard Anthony Edwards. Originally committed to play at UCLA, the former 5-star prospect spent time playing professionally in Lithuania and for the JBA, which was created by his father, LaVar Ball, prior to enrolling at SPIRE.
The 18-year-old is currently a member of the National Basketball League's Illawarra Hawks and has jbeen oined in Australia by former SPIRE coach Jermaine Jackson, who now serves as Ball's personal trainer.