LaMelo Ball Positioning Himself to Be No. 1 Pick in 2020 After Impressive Play in Australian League

Illawarra Hawks Media Opportunity
Illawarra Hawks Media Opportunity / Mark Evans/Getty Images

Big Baller Brand stock may be six feet under, but the youngest Ball brother's stock is trending exponentially.

LaMelo Ball has reportedly become a legitimate contender to be the No.1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after showing out for the Illawara Hawks of the Australian NBL. LaMelo will join big brother Lonzo in the league and he could end up being a higher pick than him if everything continues on this trajectory.

Ball opted to take the less conventional route to the league by playing overseas instead of going to college. At 18 years old and a lanky 6-foot-6, Ball's grasp of the game is impressive, as he often looks like he's naturally breezing through it.

The Hawks aren't Ball's first professional team either -- LaMelo joined his brother LiAngelo for a brief stint in Lithuania before being pulled from the team after his father, LaVar, had issues with the team's head coach. Are you surprised? We aren't either.

With fellow top prospects like James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards staying local, Ball will have to sustain -- and probably elevate -- his level of play overseas in order to keep NBA teams' attention.

But playing in a professional league before getting to the NBA can do wonders, right, Luka Doncic?