Lakers News: Who Experts Expect Team to Select with No. 17 Pick
Despite a tough 132-126 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't looking ahead to the offseason just yet. The front office, however, does have an eye on the summer, as the NBA draft is just over a month away (June 22).
Tuesday's draft lottery had no bearing on Los Angeles, as the Lakers are locked into the No. 17 selection. For those interested, though, the San Antonio Spurs won the No. 1 pick and, with it, the right to claim the draft's top prize in Victor Wembanyama.
The Lakers likely won't end up with a franchise-altering centerpiece like Wembanyama, but they might come away with a quality role player—something they'll desperately need next season.
Centerpieces LeBron James and Anthony Davis are expected to be back next season, but key postseason contributors like D'Angelo Russell, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Schröder are set to be unrestricted free agents. Los Angeles could also potentially lose budding star Austin Reaves as a restricted free agent.
As Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium recently noted, the Lakers should be concerned about another team offering Reaves more than the four-year, $50 million deal they can present:
There won't be a consensus prediction about who the Lakers take in the bottom half of the round order because there's simply too much uncertainty after the first few selections. However, we can get a good idea of what prospect might be available at No. 17—and by extension, what roles L.A. could fill in the draft—by examining the latest post-lottery projections from experts around the web.
Jett Howard, G/F, Michigan
Ever since the Lakers paired James and Davis in 2019, they've had a proven formula for success. Surround the duo with efficient defense and space-creating three-point shooting, and good things tend to happen.
This is a fact that ESPN's Jonathan Givony brought up in his post-lottery mock. His prediction at No. 17 pairs the Lakers with Michigan's Jett Howard:
"Howard is one of the most prolific 3-point shooters in this class and also flashed impressive scoring versatility before injuries derailed his season," Givony wrote. "At 6-8, he can play either wing position and has upside to grow into multiple roles at just 19 years old."
While the ankle injuries that Howard battled this past season are a bit concerning, his versatility and proven production are alluring. He averaged 14.2 points while shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc last season with the Wolverines.
Howard is, coincidentally, the 17th-ranked prospect on Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman's draft board.
Jordan Hawkins, SG, Connecticut
Pivoting over to the post-lottery mock draft by The Athletic's Sam Vecenie, you'll probably notice a trend regarding what the Lakers should be searching for in the draft. Vecenie projects UConn wing Jordan Hawkins to L.A. at No. 17 for many of the same reasons that Howard would be a logical fit.
"What are the skills that work best with LeBron James? Shooting and defense. Hawkins and his tremendous ability to space the floor would be about as perfect a fit for the Lakers as you can imagine. The Lakers are contenders again after the moves they made at the deadline this year. Continuing to add players who work well with James is a sharp strategy."
The 6'5" Hawkins has a lot of potential as a shooter but may be too slight to be an impact defender without filling out his frame. The 21-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists this past season while shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range.
Interestingly, Wasserman compared Hawkins to current Lakers shooter Malik Beasley in his evaluation. Beasley hasn't seen much action since being acquired in February and has a $16.5 million team option for next season.
Hawkins is the 23rd-ranked prospect on Wasserman's board.
Rayan Rupert, G, New Zealand Breakers
If the Lakers are willing to gamble a little bit on upside, Rayan Rupert of the New Zealand Breakers could potentially be the pick. This is an idea shared by CBS Sports' Kyle Boone and Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek.
Both experts paired Rupert with the Lakers at No. 17.
"A long guard with a 7-3 wingspan, Rupert has the makeup to be a decent 3-and-D wing at the next level," Peek wrote.
The idea of adding a future shooting and defensive star to the current roster is intriguing. However, it should be noted that the 18-year-old Rupert might need too much time to develop to actually help the current iteration of the franchise.
"It's the idea of an 18-year-old, 6'6" wing with 7'3" length and shooting range that will earn him workouts for first-round teams," Wasserman wrote. "Taking him top 20 means putting heavy stock into his age, archetype and flashes of shot-making and defense."
Rupert is the 28th-ranked prospect on Wasserman's board.
*Statistics from Basketball Reference. Contract information via Spotrac.
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