For the third consecutive season, the Los Angeles Lakers were awarded the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft due to the lottery. Perhaps this year’s was the most important one of the three, as the pick had to fall in the top three for the Lakers to keep it.
Additionally, because they kept their 2017 first-round pick, their 2019 first-round pick that would have been sent to the Orlando Magic, instead turns into two second-round picks in 2017 and 2018.
With the second pick, the Lakers will likely target a point guard, as three of the this year’s top draft prospects play that position.
Currently, the favorite to land wth the Lakers is UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, who grew up near Los Angeles in Chino Hills. Ball is a true point guard whose game is perfectly suited to run Luke Walton’s uptempo system.
Presumably, a Lakers fan recently put out a video of Ball in a Lakers uniform in NBA 2K17, and the video could be a peak into the future as Ball, and his Laker teammates are shown dominating the league.
Ball does have a few weaknesses in his game though, as he still has a lot of improvements to make on the defensive end of the floor and with his unorthodox shot. Additionally, his dad, LaVar Ball, could also cause some red flags in the Lakers organization due to his candidness in the media and possible involvement in the organization.
Other prospects the Lakers could target with the No. 2 pick are Washington’s Markelle Fultz if he is not taken by the Boston Celtics with the top pick, De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky and Josh Jackson out of Kansas.
All of them will likely workout for the Lakers in the coming weeks leading up to the draft, and on June 22, Laker fans will find out if it’s Ball or someone else that will be joining the Lakers young core of players set with the tall task of turning the historic franchise around.
