Los Angeles Lakers Draft Prospects (Centers)
So the big night came and went by. Byron Scott’s constant refusal to deliberately tank at the end of the season was a source of constant annoyance for a set of Staples Center regulars, but it seems to have finally paid off. The odds stated that there was a healthy chance that the Lakers could have lost the lottery pick altogether, owing to the Steve Nash trade, where they handed over the 2015 first round pick to Philadelphia 76ers.
Had Lakers finished outside of the top-5 the lottery pick would have been surrendered to Philadelphia as a top-5 pick remains protected. Finishing with the 4th worst record in the league last season, Lakers had 17% chance of losing the pick all together; a figure that would have climbed to 45% had they finished with the 5th worst record in the league. But things went Lakers way as the lottery happened and Lakers got themselves the 2nd pick in the lottery along with the 27th pick in round 1 (via Houston Rockets-Jeremy Lin trade) and 34th pick overall (4th pick of round 2)
Things get real interesting here on forth for the Lakers. Draft, Free Agency and Trades are coming and how the Lakers go about it could determine the future of the franchise in the Post-Kobe era.
In this segment let us focus on the draft day and what are the different scenarios that could possibly take shape once the drafts are made.
First things first, what to do with the no.2 pick. The word from the Lakers camp is that they are really liking what they see from Karl-Anthony Towns. So if the situation so arises that he is available after Timberwolves make their choice, then he will almost certainly be snapped up by the Lakers. And according to most sources in the Timberwolves’ camp, Flip Saunders (Timberwolves GM) is a big fan of Jahlil Okafor and could very well prefer Okafor over Towns on the Draft Day. Timberwolves sans Kevin Love, are lacking seriously in the offensive department and Jahlil Okafor can provide instant offense to the team, but Towns is arguably a much better all-around player with a superstar ceiling.
Knowing Mitch Kupchak, the GM for Lakers, there is a fair chance that he might go for a trade with the Timberwolves for the top pick in the draft, who might be willing to trade pick 1 for pick 2 & whatever else the Lakers offer, if they get their desired man in the second spot anyway. Lakers do have the 27th and 34th pick overall as potential trading pieces. And Kupchak himself stated that there is a very low chance that Lakers would draft and work with three rookies the upcoming season.
Given Julius Randle’s (7th pick in the 2014 draft) injury this season, he will be coming in as a rookie next year. So if the Timberwolves are looking to make a trade there is a good chance that they could pick up the 27th or 34th pick from the Lakers along with the 2nd pick. Other possibilities include the inclusion of Nick Young in the trade. The Lakers trusted the hype around Young last season and offered him a big contract, hoping that his hot shooting continued, but this past season he has been woeful and Lakers could be willing to trade him in an attempt to clear up some (more) cap space.
To draft Okafor would mean adding instantly to your offense. He can do at 19, what most veteran NBA centers can’t do at 25. But that statement is limited to his offense in the paint. He is not a great shooter, his 55% Free Throw shooting is a testament to that. At a time where every team in the NBA is making use of Hack-a-Shaq technique, on offensive player with low defensive caliber really needs to improve his shooting if he wants to be a great player, playing at a time when its make or break.
There is no doubt that Okafor’s positives are great. He might very well develop into an Olajuwon or Duncan (the players his father thinks he is similar to) and he definitely is NBA ready. A lot more so than Towns, to have an immediate impact. And he has monstrous hands. His wingspan is huge and his palms are the size of baseball gloves. He also led Duke to the NCAA championship and until the late rise of Karl-Anthony Towns, he was the consensus 1st pick in the draft.
But Towns has the look of a player who, unless something unfortunate happens, will definitely be an all-star soon. He has everything that you could ask from a center in the NBA. He has an interior presence in offense, although Okafor scores over him when it comes to passing ability. Okafor is a terrific passer when it comes to finding open shooters from inside the paint while Towns has been known to try and force the issue at times.
Apart from that there is not much to complain about Town’s game. His defense is way better than Okafor and he is a beast in the paint. His shot blocking talent is obvious and he also has a very high IQ in defense. His stats are not a proper reflection of his talent given that he averaged just 21 minutes thanks to Kentucky’s rotational style of play. But when adjusted to a per-40 rating, his numbers are as good as anyone else’s in this draft.
He is widely believed to be the top of the Lakers wishlist and a trade with Timberwolves for drafting rights to pick no.1 is not out of the question. Towns will not be an immediate reversal in the fortunes for the Lakers, but he will have a very positive change and given a couple of years, he can without doubt be the biggest thing in the NBA.
It will be a small surprise if the Lakers do not go for one of these two big men, as both of them will be revolutionary for whichever team they play for. But knowing the Lakers and Mitch Kupchak, that definitely is a possibilty. But if they stick to the general opinion, they will definitely be drafting the future with Either Karl-Anthony Towns or Jahlil Okafor.