Back in 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter in the NBA Draft. Ebanks was taken with the 43rd pick and Caracter was selected near the bottom of the draft at 58.
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According to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports, the Lakers could’ve drafted one of the most promising young players in the league today back in 2010:
Klay Thompson would’ve entered the draft a year earlier if the Lakers had agreed to take him in the first round, a source said. The Lakers declined.
We’ll never know if Thompson would’ve slipped that far in the draft coming out a year earlier. Klay averaged 19.6 points per game while shooting 41.2 percent from the floor during his sophomore season at Washington State. The sharpshooter improved those numbers slightly in his junior season shooting 43.6 from the floor averaging 21.6 points per contest.
Ultimately, the Golden State Warriors swooped up Thompson in the 2011 NBA draft with the 11th pick. Thompson was in the same draft class as other notable players like Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard, Chandler Parsons and Isaiah Thomas.
Instead of committing to Thompson in 2010, the Lakers picked up Darius Morris, Andrew Goudelock and Ater Majok in the draft. None of these players made it passed the 2012-13 season. Majok was recently brought in for a workout with the Los Angeles D-Fenders after playing in Israel, Korea and Germany.
Meanwhile, Thompson is rising star playing alongside Stephen Curry with Golden State. Thompson is averaging an impressive 23.6 points per game with incredible field-goal percentages of 46.6 from the floor and 46.7 from deep.
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