With the NFL Draft out of the way, it is officially time to prepare for the 2017 NBA Draft. How have the Lakers faired in recent mock drafts?
The Los Angeles Lakers need to find something special in the 2017 NBA Draft. Their draft picks of late have been good, as D’Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram, and Julius Randle continue to blossom. However, when looking at the rest of their young peers, you can’t help but feel a little disappointed if you are a Lakers fan.
In 2015 the Lakers were one pick away from landing star Karl Anthony-Towns, and while Russell has played better than most his peers, guys like Devin Booker, Myles Turner, and Kristaps Porzingis are arguably already contributing more than Russell.
Julius Randle was a good pick at number seven overall for the Lakers in 2014, but just imagine if they could have snagged a player from the top three; Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, or Joel Embiid. That draft class was so top-heavy, and of course, it is the draft where the Lakers did not have a very high selection.
As for Brandon Ingram, well it is far too early to quite tell how he is measuring up against his class. Number one overall pick Ben Simmons did not play a single game, however, guys like Thon Maker, Kris Dunn, and Buddy Hield seem to have immensely high ceilings.
Regardless, Ingram was perhaps more NBA ready than those guys but certainly has not been the player the Lakers wanted him to be.
With the Lakers in the midst of perhaps their worst dry spell in franchise history, fans are starting to worry. You can see that worry circulating as every player that has some sort of star power is somehow linked to this Lakers team. The Lakers need a star, and without Kobe Bryant, for the first time in a long time, they do not have one.
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That is why this 2017 NBA mock draft, conducted by Chris Stone over at FanSided, is so promising for Lakers fan. In this mock draft, the Lakers got the player that seems inevitable at this point. Los Angeles managed to reel in $495 shoe guy Lonzo Ball.
In Stone’s mock draft, the Lakers were able to reel in the second overall selection and with the selection selected the freshman point guard Lonzo Ball. Ball would instantly be the playmaker the Lakers need, and while he may not put up huge numbers on day one, he would essentially run this offense.
The Lakers have a promising young core, but they do not have that pure leader to lead the way. Ball would be just that, and running the point guard position is perfect. This allows the Lakers to slide Russell over to his more natural shooting guard position, and give the Lakers a starting five where the oldest player is 22 years old.
The 2017 NBA Draft does not stop there, however, as the Lakers were also able to snag Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo from the university of Kentucky. Abedayo would be the perfect complement to Lonzo Ball, as his great size and immense athleticism would go hand in hand with Ball’s distribution skills.
Next: Who will be the Lakers starting center?
Overall, Ball’s potential future of posting triple double like numbers, and Adebayo’s freak size and athleticism, gives Laker fans something to cheer about in the 2017 NBA Draft. If everything goes like it does on paper, we may see a reinvented Lakers team next season.