NBA Mock Draft 4.0: Atlanta Hawks add LaMelo Ball; Knicks take a risk

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NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) /

In our NBA Mock Draft 4.0, the Hawks and Knicks jump into the top 3

Now that the NBA has an official restart date (July 31), corresponding dates for the 2020 offseason have also been selected. Specifically, two key dates that pertain to the NBA Draft are August 25 (draft lottery) and October 15 (NBA Draft).

Despite the lack of draft info and speculation over the last few weeks (which was expected considering the hiatus), the expectation is that it will begin to change in the next couple of months with the draft lottery and draft dates in place.

It still isn’t clear what pre-draft workouts will look like or if the pre-draft combine will be rescheduled, but that will hopefully be settled soon.

In the latest edition of our NBA Mock Draft, the Atlanta Hawks jumped to the top in our draft lottery along with the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons to round out the top 3.

1. Atlanta Hawks – LaMelo Ball, G, Illawarra

Should the Atlanta Hawks win the 2020 NBA Draft Lottery, they’d have a huge decision on their hands. Even though many feel that LaMelo Ball is the consensus No. 1 overall pick, there is a level of risk that comes with the selection. Nevertheless, I’m not sure the team would be willing to pass on the potential that a potential backcourt of Ball and Trae Young would have.

Even though some would disagree with this move, a Ball and Young backcourt would be extremely entertaining to watch grow together. Question is, would LaVar Ball be good with Atlanta selecting LaMelo? That’s the bigger question.