During Tuesday’s NBA Draft Lottery, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped up and won the second overall pick. Since the team avoided sending over their selection to the Philadelphia 76ers, they will enter June’s Draft with three picks at their disposal.
— Think You Know Everything About Kobe Bryant? Take The Ultimate Kobe Quiz! —
Most draft experts believe the Lakers will have get either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor, depending on whom the Minnesota Timberwolves decide to take. For their other selections, the possibilities are much higher. As a result, general manger Mitch Kupchak told TWC SportsNet that the Lakers will keep their options open and invite many prospects for workouts via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Mitch Kupchak said in addition to the top picks, he expects to “bring in 50-60 players” to workout that could go in the 27-34 range (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) May 20, 2015
In addition to the second pick, the Lakers will also have selections late in the first round at No. 27 and early in the second at No. 34. Just because the the team owns three picks doesn’t mean it will draft three players. When talking about the draft as a whole, Kupchak mentioned adding three young players may be “a little much.”
Some possibilities available for the Lakers include packaging their two later picks to move up in the first round and give the Lakers another opportunity to pick within the late-teens or earlier-twenties to grab someone they feel the team needs. Another could be to take an international player in the second round and stash them overseas.
While most attention has been at the top of the draft, there are potentially good prospects available in the late-first round and early-second round. Everything in the draft is crapshoot, and teams will never truly know how good players are until they actually see time in the NBA. Look for the Lakers to be active in their draft preparation as they have many needs to address.
[divide]Lakers Nation Podcast: Draft Lottery