Report Card Grades for the Los Angeles Lakers' 2015 NBA Draft
By the time the clock wound down on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers had selected an interesting if perhaps unexpected nucleus of rookie talent.
There were rumors leading up to the draft about a possible trade for All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings, with Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reporting on “possible frameworks of a trade.”
But while those talks never came to fruition, L.A. still had a major surprise up its sleeve—selecting Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell with the No. 2 pick, when many had assumed Duke’s Jahlil Okafor would get the nod.
The night continued with two other transactions—the Lakers selected power forward Larry Nance Jr. from Wyoming at No. 27 and small forward Anthony Brown from Stanford at No. 34.
Led by general manager Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers front office turned in a solid, if somewhat surprising, draft-night performance.
D’Angelo Russell, G, Ohio State: A
There had been some tantalizing hints about the possibility of the Lakers choosing Russell during the hours leading up to the draft. One inkling in particular came on the day of the draft from Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding when he wrote the following:
"Although the Lakers respect Jahlil Okafor's size and skill (his defensive potential, not so much), momentum and consensus have been growing in the front office that Russell, not Okafor, is the special one.
It's not really so much the shift of the modern game toward the perimeter. This massive decision was always going to be about specific individuals, not the positions they play, and the vibe from Russell has been that he fits the mold of a leader, a winner and a Laker.
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Lakers coach Byron Scott clearly thinks those superlative qualities exist in the 19-year-old, per the team’s official Twitter account:
An interesting dynamic will soon ensue, as Russell, a 6’5” lead guard with the size and scoring attributes of a shooting guard, joins a team with another young 6’5” playmaker in Jordan Clarkson—the NBA All-Rookie first-team selection who rocketed from obscurity to relevance this season.
Russell and Clarkson should be able to coexist just fine. But first, there will be the essential duty of a young point guard feeding the prodigious scoring appetite of living legend Kobe Bryant, for as long as the Mamba's swan-song saga lasts.
And Russell’s just the guy to do that. His freshman stat line of 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals is the mark of a prospect with a well-balanced game. He’ll set the Mamba up with laser-guided passes all night long.
Scott had some relevant words of advice to that end, again per the team's Twitter account:
"Byron Scott on D'Angelo Russell: "My advice would be to stick as close to Kobe as possible. Learn as much as you can from him."
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) June 26, 2015"
That doesn’t seem to be an issue with the next generation, per ESPN’s Arash Markazi:
And when Bryant finally does relinquish the reins and exits stage left, it will be Russell’s turn to take over the mantle of a new purple-and-gold floor leader.
This was a very solid pick by the Lakers. Russell has future All-Star written all over him.
One huge question now looms, however. How are the Lakers going to fill their low-post void? That answer will have to come in free agency.
Larry Nance Jr., F, Wyoming: C
By the time the Lakers got back on the board again at No. 27, the talent pool had become severely depleted. Still, the choice of Nance was slightly curious, given that sharpshooter R.J. Hunter was still available, as well as power forward Montrezl Harrell and rebounding fiend Kevin Looney of UCLA.
Regardless, Nance believes he offers hustle and perseverance. The four-year power forward worked out recently for L.A., per Joey Ramirez of Lakers.com.
“If there’s a ball on the court in the first quarter (through) fourth quarter, I’m on it,” Nance said. “Whether I get it or not, I’m gonna be on the floor working for it. The second a shot goes up—you’re looking underneath the rim, you’ll see my try to get in a box-out position."
Basketball writer Eric Pincus had this to say:
Nance is the son of three-time All-Star Larry Nance Sr. and was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year this season. He tore his ACL during his junior year but returned this season, averaging 16.1 points and 7.2 boards per game.
This is a 22-year-old with good energy and a well-rounded game. Still, cracking a young power forward rotation that already includes Julius Randle and Tarik Black will be a challenge.
Anthony Brown, SF, Stanford: B
Brown is an intriguing choice at a position of need for the Lakers.
The 22-year-old was a fifth-year senior this season, an anomaly in an era of one-and-done NBA prospects. The wiry wing is also a two-way player who not only defends but can also nail his shots from downtown.
Brown was measured at 6’8 ½” with a 6’11 ¼” wingspan at the recent NBA Scouting Combine, per DraftExpress. He’s got a high release on his shot and converted an impressive 44 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc during his final year with the Cardinal. It’s not a fluke, either—he made 45 percent of his treys the previous season.
That said, Brown’s not super athletic or known as a strong finisher at the rim. This is a guy who will spread the floor and is especially adept at coming off screens—a nice skill to have in Scott’s hybrid Princeton offense. Grantland provided Kirk Goldsberry's shot chart for Brown:
The Lakers have struggled at the small forward position recently, with the perennially underperforming Wesley Johnson and the defensively challenged Nick Young. Johnson is now a free agent, and it would be nice to have options that don’t include giving him yet another chance.
All things considered, taking Brown at No. 34 is a solid move. In fact, one could have made an argument for flipping Brown and Nance in the order.
At the end of the night, the Lakers accomplished something worthwhile—they segued from their worst season in franchise history to a legitimate step forward for the future.
Even if their latter two picks never pan out, Russell has the makings of a franchise star.
Stats courtesy Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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