Soaring Down South
Fansided

Atlanta Hawks: Could LaMelo Ball and Trae Young Coexist as Guards?

By Symone Stanley

WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks celebrates with his teams mates after their overtime win during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
WOLLONGONG, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 25: Lamelo Ball of the Hawks celebrates with his teams mates after their overtime win during the round 8 NBL match between the Illawarra Hawks and the Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre on November 25, 2019 in Wollongong, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Looking at a potential Atlanta Hawks backcourt pairing of Trae Young and LaMelo Ball.

I have been hearing rumors and seeing mock draft discussions that have Lamelo Ball getting picked up by the Atlanta Hawks with a lottery pick this summer. The 6’7 guard averaged17 points, seven assists, and seven and a half rebounds this season with the Illawarra Hawks in the National Basketball League.

He has gained an extreme amount of attention from the media not only because of his outspoken father, Lavar Ball but also because of his outstanding on-court abilities. Besides his tricky passing ability and ankle-breaking ball-handling skills, the 18-year-old scored 92 points in a high school game alone. So yeah, he has a lot of hype around him.

In a perfect world, Trae Young and LaMelo Ball will become an Atlanta version of the splash brothers: Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. The two guards are both able to score consistently and complement each other’s deficiencies. For example, what Steph Curry lacks in defense, Thompson is able to overcompensate with his ability to not only score but be effective on the other end of the floor as well.

We all know Young isn’t praised for his defensive abilities and will never be the most effective due to his size, and Melo is showing real potential in that area. That can be matured on the next level as well.

Sadly, we do not live in a perfect world. One of the biggest and most glaring oppositions to the budding star joining the Hawks is the fact that Trae and Melo are both ball-dominant and the duo wouldn’t be able to coexist. This is a very valid point that cannot be ignored and no NBA organization wants to hear Lavar Ball complaining if his son isn’t getting the attention he believes he deserves.

However, many also claimed that Russell Westbrook and James Harden were both too dominant to be able to effectively mesh. Now, look at the Rockets, proving their haters wrong by making their way to making a serious playoff run. Westbrook isn’t averaging a triple-double anymore like he was known for in OKC, but he doesn’t need to. He is able to take the offensive load off of Harden and Harden does the same for him.

Next. Atlanta Hawks Prospect Profile: LaMelo Ball. dark

LaMelo and Trae could become an offensive machine if Ball is selected by Atlanta and the right scheme is created. The question is, is that what the team’s needs right now? LaMelo is already playing in a Hawks uniform, it may be a sign.