Los Angeles Lakers: Magic strikes as team garners second overall selection
By Jamaal Artis
Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have anticipated this day for months now. Finally, the team and its fans got exactly what they had wished for.
Avoiding a disastrous outcome the ping pong balls came up the Los Angeles Lakers way as they were able to keep their top three pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
The Lakers will be picking 2nd for the third year in a row, having taken DeAngelo Russell in 2015 and Brandon Ingram in 2016. The Lakers actually moved up a spot from third to second, while their arch rival the Boston Celtics will pick first.
Instead of the worst case scenario where the Lakers lost their pick to the Philadelphia 76ers this year and their first round pick in 2019 to the Orlando Magic, the Lakers keep both picks and now will give up their 1st round pick next year to Philly and two second round picks to the Magic.
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Representing the Lakers this year at the lottery was their ultimate good luck charm; president of basketball operations Magic Johnson. He was all smiles during the live telecast on ESPN as he learned that the Lakers were keeping their pick.
The ultimate Laker, Magic must now try to rebuild the team he sent into the stratosphere in the 1980’s when he was running “Showtime” and winning five NBA titles.
There will be lots of speculation about what the Lakers do with their pick. This year’s draft is considered to be deep, with Markell’s Fultz (Washington), Josh Jackson (Kansas), and Lonzo Ball (UCLA) considered the top 3 picks in the draft.
It will also depend on what the Celtics do with their top pick. The Celtics may trade down in order to get a star player who may get them past Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East.
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Whatever happens now at least the Lakers and their fans know they will have control of their own destiny. I’m sure Magic and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had a back up plan if they had lost their picks tonight, but Lakers fans won’t have to know. Now it’s all about the June draft and the continued rebuild.