The Lakers with a Shocker on Draft Day

The 2015 NBA Draft is always a very popular event for sports fans. Teams have started building through the draft more and more and now there is proof that tactic works. The Golden State Warriors built through the draft and many of those drafted players played a very important role in their accomplishment of an NBA Championship. Stephen Curry (Picked 9^th in 2009), Klay Thompson (Picked 11^th in 2011), Draymond Green (Picked 35^th in 2012), Harrison Barnes (Picked 7^th in 2012) and Festus Ezeli (Picked 30^th in 2012) were all players the Warriors selected that helped them achieve their ultimate goal of an NBA Championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to do what the Warriors did and build through the draft. However, the Lakers are trying to take a quicker approach then the six years it took the Golden State Warriors. Having the number two overall selection in the draft is a very valuable piece that could make a big impact on a team.

Coming into the draft the talk was all about the 1-2 punch of the big men. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor were supposed to go #1 and #2 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Timberwolves surprised no one as they selected Karl-Anthony Towns with the number one overall selection in the draft. The Lakers held the next pick and many thought Okafor would be the selection. The Lakers have built arguably the best franchise in the NBA based off of having superior big men on their rosters. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal are all guys that have helped bring multiple championships to the city of Los Angeles.

With that being said, the Lakers selected D’Angelo Russell with the second pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Now initially shock entered my mind, but once I realized what value really came with this pick I began to become very excited. D’Angelo Russell, a 6’5” 195 pound point guard out of Ohio State is a very special player. He surprised many people with his play in his freshman year and continued to shoot up draft boards throughout the season. He has a smooth lefty-shooting stroke that possesses NBA range to go along with a passing ability that is above average. He sees the floor very well and is very advanced at attacking the rim. He is still 19 years old so there is some concern about his build, but that will come with age and physical development. Some criticize his athletic ability, but he compares similar to James Harden, as he is very good at using the physical traits that he has in order to be a very good basketball player.

Now with the addition of Russell, the Lakers have found their starting point guard for their 2015-2016 roster. The shooting guard position is manhandled by Laker legend, Kobe Bryant. Small forward is an area of concern, but the Lakers will look at options in free agency in order to fill that hole. Julius Randle fills the power forward slot. Randle has been wowing people within the Lakers organization as he has dropped about 20 pounds and has improved his jump shot. Now the center position is where things get interesting. This position was thought to be filled by Jahlil Okafor, but the Lakers had a change of plans on draft night.

Now that the Lakers have passed on Okafor in the draft, it does a lot for the organization as they approach free agency. The 2015 free agent class is filled with very talented big men. A couple of the big men that are available are: Marc Gasol, Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, and DeAndre Jordan. The Lakers have about 23 million in cap space meaning that they can offer a max contract to one of these big men. Getting one of these big men to sign is going to be the hard part, but the Lakers already have an advantage, as they are a high-class organization that attracts free agents. Let’s not forget about the bright future that they have as well, which is led by D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle.

July 1^st is when free agency begins and it will be quite the roller coaster ride. Lamarcus Aldridge has already expressed interest in signing with Los Angeles, Kevin Love went to college at UCLA and has ties to LA, and Marc Gasol might follow in his brother’s foot steps to try and win a couple of championships with the Lakers. Only time will tell if this dream scenario turns into a reality. June 25^th, 2015 might mark a very big date in Los Angeles Lakers history as D’Angelo Russell looks to become the next Kobe Bryant and the face of the Lakers franchise.

Will the Lakers Luck Turn into Gold?

It usually is not a good thing when teams are excited about the NBA Draft Lottery because they are all of the teams that did not make the playoffs. For the Lakers, this is unfamiliar territory as this is just the fifth time that they have “played” in the lottery since it began in 1985. The Lakers came into the lottery with the fourth worst record leaving them with an 11.9% chance of landing the #1 overall pick. Although the Lakers did not find a gold mine, they still found plenty of gold as they landed with the #2 overall pick, two slots ahead of where they were projected to pick.

Now some might say that gaining two spots in the draft is not a big deal, but it is a huge deal and here is why. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor headline the 2015 NBA Draft class and scouts have been raving about these two big men. Both of these players are supposed to be a lock to go #1 and #2 in the draft and scouts cannot stop talking about the potential both of these young men have.

For the Lakers, it changes everything. They at first were looking at taking either DeAngelo Russell, a point guard from Ohio State, or Emmanuel Mudiay, a point guard who played in China last year, with the fourth pick in the draft. Having selected another point guard would have created a dilemma at the point guard position with Jordan Clarkson. Now instead of drafting a point guard, the Lakers are almost certain to draft a center, whether that is Okafor or Towns, who will be a great compliment to Julius Randle in the low post.

Although it certainly does help the Lakers out position wise, it also helps them out money wise. The Lakers have a 9 million dollar team option for Jordan Hill meaning they can decide if they want to give him that 9 million contract for the upcoming year or they can cut him lose and not pay him that price tag, which will allow him to reach free agency. With the addition of Okafor or Towns, it is almost certain that the Lakers are now going to decline the 9 million dollar option on Jordan Hill, which frees up 9 million for the Lakers to use on other pieces in free agency.

The Lakers have many intriguing options to look at in free agency in order to build a team that will be competitive for Kobe Bryant’s last year of his career and for years to come. A couple of interesting names to keep an eye out for are Rajon Rondo, Wesley Matthews, DeMarre Carroll, and the most talked about rumor this year, Kevin Love.

My prediction for the offseason is that the Los Angeles Lakers will target Rajon Rondo to give some veteran leadership at the point guard position. Rondo and Kobe are good friends and both have drive and motivation that many others do not have. I predict a three-year contract worth around 30 million for Rondo and his services.

Now Kobe Bryant is obviously locked in to the starting shooting guard position for next year, but it is important to notice Kobe’s history of injuries in these past couple of years. The Lakers are not going to be able to rely on Kobe to play 35 minutes a game so having a valuable backup shooting guard going to be very important. There are a couple of options here. The Lakers could stay put and keep their sixth man, Nick Young, but this is unlikely as there has already been rumors of the Lakers looking at trade options for Young. I predict the Lakers will trade Nick Young along with their 27^th overall pick in the draft in order to move up in the draft. Jordan Clarkson will be the sixth man for the Lakers next year playing both PG and SG.

The small forward position has not always been a point of emphasis for the Lakers. They have won with quality role players like Trevor Ariza and Metta World Peace (also known as the Panda’s Friend) and I expect the Lakers to go in the same route here. DeMarre Carroll has really made a name for himself this year. He has always been a lock down defender, but he immensely improved his shot and his offensive game. The Lakers were rated 29^th out of 30 in defensive efficiency and adding a guy like Carroll would help with that glaring weakness. I predict a four-year contract worth around 36 million.

One of the best pieces that the Lakers have for the future is Julius Randle. Although he is coming off of a rookie season where he only played 14 minutes due to a season ending injury, the Lakers are expecting big things from Julius in his sophomore season. The 6’9” 250 pound power forward has a very advanced offensive game for his age (20) and the Lakers expect Julius to play a pivotal role in their pursuit of an NBA Championship.

An NBA Championship after the season that the Lakers just had? Although not a likely outcome for the 2015-2016 the Lakers might not be that far off. Rounding out the starting five for the Lakers next year will be Jahlil Okafor. The 6’11” 270 pound Center out of Duke has a very advanced offensive game with a plethora of post moves to go along with a pretty good jumper. Free throw shooting and defense are known to be his weaknesses, but Okafor has been working out in Santa Barbara at P3 trying to work on his physical tools in order to further fill out his body and be more of a presence both on the defensive and offensive end. Although the league is starting to turn towards a guard heavy league, Okafor is a guy that the Los Angeles Lakers could and should build around as he has the traits of being a franchise player.

Now the Lakers still have quite the wish list in order to become competitive again, but drafting Okafor is a huge step in the right direction for their franchise. The presence of Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, and Jahlil Okafor should be enough to attract some free agents to LA as well. Although the Lakers just had one of their worst years in franchise history, things are only looking up for Laker fans. Only time will tell if the Lakers can have a historic turnaround season. It all starts with Okafor, and none of this would have been possible without the Lakers finding gold in the lottery.