With the first round of the NBA playoffs underway, the Los Angeles Lakers are in unfamiliar territory. Since being eliminated from the playoffs in March, the Lakers will have a lottery pick for the first time since 2005, where they drafted high-school center Andrew Bynum with the 10th pick.
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With the draft lottery on May 20, there were questions on who would represent the Lakers. According to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, the team’s last number one overall pick, James Worthy, will be their representative:
James Worthy, last No. 1 overall Lakers pick, will be on the stage representing the Lakers at the May 20 draft lottery.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) April 30, 2014
Lakers president @JeanieBuss wasn't inclined to do it, so @James_Worthy42, Lakers analyst for @TWCSportsNet, will represent the team.
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) April 30, 2014
Considering that Worthy was drafted with the first overall pick by the Lakers in the 1982 NBA Draft, it shows how successful the team has been. While the Lakers are in unfamiliar territory, they have the opportunity to quickly turn the franchise around with the high draft pick and significant cap room.
While the Lakers will have a high draft pick, GM Mitch Kupchak acknowledged during his exit meeting that the team could potentially trade the pick. With Kobe Bryant looking to win a championship in the final two years of his career, it will be interesting to see what direction the team ultimately takes this upcoming off-season.
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