Should the Hornets draft LaMelo Ball if he’s available at 3? How he’d fit in Charlotte

Last in a series of analyses on prospects for the Charlotte Hornets’ No. 3 draft pick:

Charlotte Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak says the goal drafting at No. 3 is to find “special.”

LaMelo Ball is a special passer. Would he be a special fit for the Hornets?

Ball recently worked out for the Hornets, Warriors and Pistons. He would bring size (6-foot-8) and playmaking to Charlotte, along with potential star power this franchise so lacks.

He would also bring questions of how he’d fit in the locker room. Ball had an unorthodox upbringing: He left high school to play professionally in Lithuania and later in Australia before becoming draft-eligible. His family has been the subject of a reality show.

“I would have a little bit of concern, and want to satisfy myself as to his socialization into a team,” said ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas. “He’s not had a normal high school experience. He bounced around and had a Kardasian-like kind of environment ...

“That doesn’t mean he’s not going to step into a team and operate smoothly and be a terrific teammate, and all that stuff. But I’d want to know that” before drafting him.

LaMelo Ball’s situation

His older brother, Lonzo, was the No. 2 pick of the 2017 draft and plays point guard for the New Orleans Pelicans. Ball’s father, one-time Carolina Panther LaVar Ball, has become a celebrity for his bombastic persona. LaVar Ball said his son wouldn’t be a good fit for the Golden State Warriors, drafting second, which LaMelo said weeks later wasn’t so.

LaMelo Ball is known as a gifted passer, but a shaky shooter — 25% from 3-point range, and attempting nearly seven 3s per game last season.

His court vision and playmaking are rare.

“His strengths will fit (the NBA) extraordinarily well,” Bilas said during a national media call, adding that Ball is a “fabulous passer and has just unique passing instincts.”

How does LaMelo Ball fit with the Hornets

Point guard is arguably the Hornets’ deepest position with the emergence last season of Devonte Graham, plus the addition of veteran Terry Rozier, who has two seasons left on his $56 million contract.

While Ball is tall enough to match up physically with shooting guards and small forwards, finding sufficient minutes for Ball, Graham and Rozier could get complicated.

Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak has said repeatedly that he will draft for talent with the third pick, regardless of position.

Argument for drafting LaMelo Ball

If collective talent is Kupchak’s top priority, then drafting Ball at No. 3 is justified. He is arguably the top player in this draft pool.

The Hornets are as starless as any NBA team. Ball has both the talent and personality to eventually be that star.

Argument against drafting LaMelo Ball

Of the three players considered the top of this draft pool (James Wiseman and Anthony Edwards the others), Ball’s position makes him the most challenging to blend into the Hornets’ current mix.

The best success of Kupchak’s first two seasons in Charlotte has been drafting and developing second-rounder Graham. Complicating Graham’s progress isn’t a reason not to draft Ball, but it would be a complication going in this direction.