Los Angeles Lakers: There is no point discussing who the team will draft
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers actually did something right, well, they got lucky and moved all the way up to the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery.
The Los Angeles Lakers have not had many things go right over the last year after signing LeBron James but managed to get extremely lucky in the NBA Draft Lottery and move all the way up to the fourth overall pick.
Even this was a disappointment to some fans, though, as there was a possibility that the Lakers had the first overall pick when it was announced they were in the top four. Not only that, but the draft class is very top heavy in the top three picks and falls off at number four.
That does not mean that there is no talent available in the rest of the lottery after the third pick. However, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and RJ Barrett are in a class of their own ahead of the rest of the class.
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That has not stopped the discussion around who the Los Angeles Lakers should pick with the fourth overall pick. Darius Garland is a fun idea as he can be as good as the top three but was hurt in college, which hurt his stock.
Other options, such as Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter and Jarrett Culver, are all viable options as well.
The only thing is there really is no reason to have these discussions in the first place. While it is common practice to write about what a respected team is going to be doing in the upcoming draft, in any sport, there is absolutely no chance that the Lakers even use that draft pick as an actual selection.
Everyone knows that the narrative this summer is for the Lakers to bring in a second star to help LeBron James contend for a title. The team already has a young core that has had some growing pains and the last thing they need is another young talent to groom into something one day.
The front office is looking for talent that can help now and whether that pick help gets a superstar or gets the second-best addition this summer, it will be used in a trade of some sort. The only way the Lakers would have kept their selection is if it was the first overall pick and they had a chance of Zion.
Everyone else can eventually be good and have some upside, but do not help the team accomplish what they are trying to accomplish now. It might not seem like a great strategy for the long term but the Lakers will be just fine considering they have plenty of youth on the roster.
Next. LeBron is the only thing grounding the Lakers. dark
The Los Angeles Lakers got lucky and have a pick that is seven spots higher than it should be. The team is essentially playing with house money and needs to flip that house money elsewhere.