NBL officials worried American young guns may head home

WORD from NBL clubland is growing louder that LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton may not play a full season in a bid to prepare for the 2020 NBA draft.

News Corp understands if Ball and Hampton are excelling at Illawarra and New Zealand halfway through the season, their agents are leaning towards pulling them out to start training camp in the US. If this becomes reality it would be a bitter blow for the NBL, given they are pinning much of the 2019/2020 NBL season around the two star Americans.

Ball and Hampton have attracted record social media numbers while their presence has helped the NBL strike a deal with Facebook Watch to live stream 52 NBL games into the US involving the gun teenagers. At this point, the NBL expects Ball and Hampton to play a full season before leaving to prepare for the draft.

The 2020 NBA draft is on June 25, at least four months after the NBL season finishes.

However, history has shown that draft prospects regularly don’t complete full seasons in the lead up to being selected.

Agents have traditionally preferred to put their players in training camp to prepare for the draft.

It’s understood this scenario is being considered for Ball and Hampton depending on form during the NBL season.

Despite this, Breakers CEO Matt Walsh expects Hampton to remain at the club for the duration of his contract.

“All I can say is that RJ and his family have been amazing and we expect him to be a Breaker all season,” Walsh said. Hampton is a projected 2020 first-round pick, currently sitting at No. 6 in mock drafts.

The point guard from Little Elm High School in Texas has top scored for the Breakers in two of the franchise’s three pre-season games.

Ball is also excelling at Illawarra.

Ball’s outstanding debut for the Hawks in front of an army of NBA scouts at the NBL Blitz in Tasmania last week has vaulted the teenager to become a likely top-three pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

ESPN yesterday moved Ball up more than 20 places on its mock draft to third spot and did not rule out the 18-year-old going number one.

It was a dream start for Ball and the NBL, which has established itself as a legitimate alternative for America’s best young players.