Los Angeles Lakers select Nico Mannion in B/R Mock Draft

Bleacher Report recently released their NBA Mock Draft. Who did they have the Los Angeles Lakers selecting?

The Los Angeles Lakers have officially clinched the top spot in the Western Conference as we get closer to the start of the NBA Playoffs. This was certainly a goal of the Lakers coming into the season, but they know that they still have a lot left to accomplish.

While the Lakers will be trying to win a championship still, the front office will be looking ahead to sustain the success of the franchise. In the most recent Bleacher Report NBA Mock Draft, the Lakers addressed the point guard position with the 29th overall pick.

For the Lakers, the point guard position has been a bit of an issue, and it is one that they need to address with some youth. So, the selection of Nico Mannion from Arizona.

Mannion was a pretty hyped prospect coming out of high school and might not have done as well as he would have liked in his freshman season at Arizona. With Arizona, Mannion averaged 14.0 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game.

It certainly wasn’t a poor season for Mannion, but it wasn’t one that pushed him toward being a lottery pick coming out after just one season.

However, for the Lakers, getting a talented player that might have just not reached his potential in one season in college is appealing. As of now, the Lakers really don’t have much at the guard position for the long-term. Alex Caruso has developed into a nice player, but it is hard to imagine him playing 30+ minutes a night.

Even though the Lakers might have the feel that they are a win-now team, Anthony Davis is still pretty young, and the Lakers can certainly build around him whenever LeBron James decides to retire.

The Lakers have done really well scouting at the end of the first round in recent years, so hopefully they can find another player like a Kyle Kuzma or Josh Hart late in the first round.