The Los Angeles Lakers happened to be the only lucky team during the recent 2015 NBA Draft Lottery. It just happened to be the the Lakers, who has the 4th lottery position going into the night, were the only team to move up in the draft lottery and the team they just so happened to switch with were the New York Knicks who had the second position in the lottery.
The Lakers have their highest draft pick since they selected James Worthy with the top overall pick in the 1982 draft, they also have a plethora of options at their disposal. They can either go with one of the 2 ‘can’t miss’ big men in Karl Anthony-Towns or Jahlil Okafor. On the flipside, they also can go small and select one of the top point guards in the draft in Emmanuel Mudiay or D’Angelo Russell. Either way they go, it wouldn’t be wrong but ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports they might not exactly be sold on the idea of going big. Instead it appears the Lakers appear to lean on the side of point guard.
Shouldn't be shocking, but from to a league source w/ knowledge of the Lakers' thinking, they feel like they could go big or small at No. 2
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 21, 2015
Basically, the Lakers aren't locked into K-AT or Okafor no matter what at this point, per source. Intrigued by Mudiay/Russell.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 21, 2015
The Lakers are the wild card in this seasons draft because there is no clear cut direction for them to go in. They need a starting point guard because Jordan Clarkson might be exciting but he appears like a energy guy coming off the bench. He has the ability to make some plays and score in bunches but his consistency is way off. On the other hand, the Lakers don’t have a starting center, especially after it appears that Jordan Hill will be testing his value in free agency this summer.
The thing is, the Lakers can completely win big in this draft. Not only do they have the second pick but they also have the Houston Rockets pick late in the draft. Either way they go, they can just supplement it later with a quality player on the opposite end of the spectrum. If they do go big with Towns or Okafor, they could possibly select Jerian Grant or Tyus Jones with their late pick. Same thing if they go with Russell or Mudiay they can select a big man later on like Robert Upshaw or even a riskier pick in Rakeem Christmas.
One thing is for certain, New York Knicks fans might be praying the Knicks keep their pick because this could work out in their favor. If the Minnesota Timberwolves selected Jahlil Okafor number one, the Lakers pick Mudiay at 2, Philadelphia 76ers select their most coveted prospect in D’Angelo Russell with the pick at 3, then the Knicks can get exactly what they want, Karl Athony-Towns, right at the fourth spot.
Either way, there’s seemingly no way the Lakers can mess this up and they can have a brighter future. At least that’s what Lakers fans hope for.
