Los Angeles Lakers 2018 NBA Draft profile: Kevin Huerter

Maryland guard Kevin Huerter has emerged as a potential candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018 NBA Draft.

There has been a ton of buzz surrounding the 2018 NBA Draft and what the Los Angeles Lakers will do with the 25th overall pick. After all, the actions of the team in the draft may be the appetizer for what is a busy, superstar filled, summer.

A new name has emerged as a potential target for the Los Angeles Lakers: Maryland guard Kevin Huerter.

Huerter joins Zhaire Smith and Mitchell Robinson as a potential player that the Lakers could be targeting in the draft class. There were reports that the Lakers wanted to move up to draft Smith and promised Robinson that the team would draft him.

Now, the Lakers are reportedly interesting in Huerter with the 25th overall pick.

Huerter was also in the news on Wednesday as it was reported that he would undergo surgery to repairs ligaments in his right hand. While that does spark injury concerns, his timetable for return is two months which gives him plenty of time to make training camp.

It is understandable why the Lakers may be interested in Huerter even with a hand injury. Huerter’s strong points in his game far outweigh the negatives. Overall, Huerter is one of the most well-rounded players available in the late first round.

Huerter is a great playmaker that can play both guard positions. His six-foot-six frame matches Lonzo Ball and he can provide the same hybrid guard role as Josh Hart.

Huerter showed potential to play both on and off-ball. Off-ball, Huerter is a great catch and shoot option that can get around screens as well as score off the dribble and in transition. On-ball, Huerter is an advanced facilitator for his age and would fit nicely in the new offensive culture in LA.

More importantly, Huerter is a good rebounder for his position as well as a solid defender both in isolation and in team defense. While his average athleticism may raise concerns against the elite guards in the NBA, Huerter should have no problem guarding 90 percent of the guards in the NBA.

The negative aspects about Huerter are harder to spot. As previously mentioned, he is just an average athlete and lacks a good isolation game to get around defenders and get to the cup. Because of that, Huerter does not draw a lot of shots; he averaged 2.0 free throws per game in his college career.

Aside from the commons leaps that come with being an NBA player, Huerter really has no other significant flaws and provides one of the safest picks in the entire draft.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been successful in drafting prospects with college experience late in the first round. Kyle Kuzma and Hart are the latest examples.

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Because of the lack of glaring holes and his experience in college, Kevin Huerter is an extremely smart pick for the Los Angeles Lakers to make.

All statistics courtesy of Sports-Reference.