Los Angeles Lakers: Upon reflection, the Lakers have drafted great
By Jason Reed
There is a ton of criticisms to be made about the Los Angeles Lakers and how the team has been run — one of which is not how the team has drafted.
The Los Angeles Lakers look like a dumpster fire right now with all of the ongoing storylines, both on and off the court, and the sudden resignation of Magic Johnson.
That impromptu press conference really highlighted how rough things have been going for the Lakers the last six years and how it is so unlike the prestigious franchise that the Lakers have been throughout their history.
There certainly is a lot to be upset about if you are a Laker fan. However, one area you cannot really complain about is how the team has drafted.
What the team has done since is not perfect, but when going back year-by-year, it is evident that the Lakers have a keen eye for drafting.
2014 NBA Draft:
The Los Angeles Lakers selected Julius Randle with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. What the team did with him last offseason, letting him sign with the New Orleans Pelicans when the Lakers could have matched the manageable contract, is a massive mistake.
The reason it is a mistake though is that Randle started to show signs of being an all-star and was only confirming that he was the right pick in 2014. The 2014 NBA Draft was pretty bad, with Joel Embiid being the only all-star selected in the first round.
The next best player that was selected in the 2014 NBA Draft within 10 picks of Randle is either Zach LaVine or Jusuf Nurkic, who are, at best, on par with Randle.
Nikola Jokic is the big standout from this year’s draft but he was selected with the 41st overall pick and nobody expected him to make the leaps that he has since made. You cannot hold sleeper picks like that against the Lakers and it is evident that Randle was the right pick in 2014.