Ball, Haliburton, Hayes top list of NBA draft point guards

LaMelo Ball opted to play professionally overseas instead of making a brief stop in college basketball. That unconventional route to the NBA now has him set to be the top point guard taken – and maybe the first player overall – in the Nov. 18 draft.

Ball, who most recently played in Australia, is the headliner at the position and is expected to be a top-four pick, and another American-born international prospect Killian Hayes and Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton are likely top-10 selections.

Here’s a look at some of the top point guard prospects:

LAMELO BALL

The younger brother of New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball is projected by to have the draft's highest ceiling with his passing, ball skills and size.

STRENGTHS: The 19-year-old is bigger than most point guards with a 6-foot-7 frame, which will become even more of an advantage as he gets stronger. He started his

CONCERNS: Ball can score in bunches – he scored

TYRESE HALIBURTON

The 6-foot-5 Haliburton

STRENGTHS: Haliburton, 20, averaged 15.2 points and a Big 12-leading 6.5 assists before going down in February with a wrist injury. He's a

CONCERNS: Haliburton needs to add strength to a lean 175-pound frame, which would allow him to handle physical defenders or withstand contact in the paint.

KILLIAN HAYES

Hayes became a lottery prospect as a teenager in Europe.

STRENGTHS: The American-born Hayes has been developing in the professional ranks since he was 16, first in France. He later headed to Germany, where he said in a September predraft call with reporters: “I really grew up as a leader on the court.” The lefty has good size with a 6-foot-5, 192-pound frame, as well as overall polish in scoring off the dribble, whipping passes to set up teammates and the potential to play either guard spot.

CONCERNS: Hayes needs to cut down mistakes with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7 over three seasons overseas, which included 3.2 turnovers per game last year with a German club. He also shot just 29% on 3-pointers last season — although he was 39% in 10 higher-profile EuroCup games. Hayes said he is working to improve his defense, including against the pick-and-roll, and expand his right-handed game.

COLE ANTHONY

The 20-year-old son of former UNLV and NBA point guard Greg Anthony started last year as a potential top-10 pick, but is likely to slide more to the middle or second half of the first round after a bumpy freshman year at North Carolina.

STRENGTHS: The 6-3, 190-pound Anthony is a tough-minded scorer. He started with 34 points against Notre Dame on the way to averaging 18.5 points while also being a willing rebounder (5.7). He

CONCERNS: Anthony was unable to elevate a UNC team unusually down on talent. He was the only player capable of consistently creating his own shot, yet the Tar Heels had trouble finding cohesion with Anthony’s ball-dominant style as he shot 38%. UNC finished 14-19, the only losing record of Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams’ career.

OTHERS TO WATCH

— MALACHI FLYNN: The junior helped San Diego State win 30 games and crack the top 10 nationally. He could be a late first-round pick.

— TRE JONES: The Duke sophomore is an elite on-ball defender who expanded his offensive game last year to become an Associated Press All-American. He could be a late first-round pick.

— KIRA LEWIS JR.: The Alabama sophomore averaged 18.5 points and 5.2 assists last year. He’s a first-round prospect who could climb into lottery range.

— THEO MALEDON: The 19-year-old has been playing in a French pro league and is a first-round prospect with combo-guard potential.

— NICO MANNION: The Arizona freshman is a late first-round prospect after averaging 14.0 points and 5.3 assists.

— PAYTON PRITCHARD: The Oregon senior could sneak into the first round after leading the Pac-12 in scoring (20.5) and assists (5.6) while also shooting 41.5% from 3-point range.

-— TYRELL TERRY: The Stanford freshman could go in the middle of the first round after averaging 14.6 points with plenty of shooting range (40.8% on 3-pointers).

___

AP Sports Writer Kenneth Maguire in London contributed to this report.

___

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

___

Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap