5 Dark-Horse Candidates for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2015 NBA Draft

In all likelihood (fingers crossed!) the Los Angeles Lakers are going to end up with one of the first five picks in the 2015 NBA draft. With the fourth-worst overall record, ending up with the fourth pick would be par for the course.

The top-four draft prospects have remained relatively constant for the past several months, with the only changes coming between the group. As of yet, nobody has been able to cross the velvet ropes into that elite club. 

But what if the Lakers went off the beaten path? If they saw something special enough in somebody to rate them higher than one of the four "sure things" in the draft, who would it be?

And let's not forget their late first-round selection, courtesy of the Houston Rockets. It's an absolute crapshoot as to who L.A. would take there.

Here's a snapshot of five potential dark-horse candidates the Lakers may choose in Round 1 of the draft.

Justise Winslow

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No player did more to help his draft stock during the NCAA tournament than Winslow, who was Duke's best player during the tournament from start to finish.

Winslow wasn't an offensive force in college, but when he got space to operate—as a small-ball 4—he was effective. He used his superior size and strength to overwhelm smaller defenders, and flashed a solid three-point stroke (41 percent) to stretch out bigs.

While his three-point accuracy was good, there are still questions about Winslow's jumper at the next level where he will be playing on the wing most of the time. Free-throw shooting and three-point attempts are better indicators of a player's outside shooting potential in the pros than three-point percentage, and Winslow didn't take a ton of triples and converted just 64 percent of his foul shots.

But offense is just gravy with Winslow, because his greatest attribute is his versatility on defense.

Being able to guard multiple positions is a trait NBA teams are valuing very highly nowadays. There's a reason Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green finished at the top of the heap in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2015. With offenses increasing their complexity and emphasizing movement, being able to switch assignments on the fly without a hitch is key, and having what it takes to be a stopper at more than one spot on the floor is of immeasurable value.

Winslow could move into the top-four of the draft if his momentum continues to build.

Willie Cauley-Stein

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Cauley-Stein has dark-horse potential to be drafted by the Lakers because he fits a glaring need—defensive anchor.

Lakers centers were sieves defensively in 2015. According to 82games.com, opposing centers had a 19.6 PER against L.A., a very high number when you consider the limited number of real good centers around the league.

Even worse than straight up guarding their opponents, L.A.'s 5s did a poor job of protecting the rim. The Lakers conceded the third-most field goals inside the restricted area, and compounded that by also being the fifth-worst field-goal defense against those attempts, per NBA.com.

Cauley-Stein can fill that hole. 

Defense is his calling card. Kentucky used him as their defensive stopper, and he legitimately guarded all five positions at one time or another. His length and athleticism allow him to stay with his man, show-and-recover on pick-and-rolls and rack up steals and blocks at a prodigious rate.

His offense is lacking, but he can fit the mold of a Tyson Chandler/DeAndre Jordan/Andre Drummond type of player. With the offensively inclined Julius Randle slotted to play power forward for the foreseeable future, the Lakers may be tempted to draft Cauley-Stein to play next to him.

Stanley Johnson

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Johnson was a top recruit coming out of high school but didn't have an amazing season at Arizona. He was solid, good enough to hover around the top 10 of draft prospects but never cracked that top tier of potential draft choices. A subpar NCAA tournament certainly didn't help his stock.

Where Johnson can make up that ground is in workouts. He looks amazing in person, with height, length and a chiseled frame that makes him an impressive specimen in an empty gym. 

All the physical tools give Johnson an intriguing defensive ceiling. He didn't prove his ability to guard all over the court like Justise Winslow or Willie Cauley-Stein, but he showed flashes of being capable at it. And with his size and strength, scouts and GMs will talk themselves into that attribute if they're already fans of his.

He has the potential to be a key cog in any offense as well. He doesn't create well for teammates, but he can get his own shot. According to Draft Express, Johnson converted a cool 49 percent of his pull-up jumpers.

And he was effective as a spacer as well, knocking down 37 percent of his treys and 44 percent of his catch-and-shoot opportunities overall.

Cliff Alexander

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If the Lakers are looking for a project who could be a factor for them down the road with their late first-rounder, Alexander will be considered.

The Kansas product came into the season with a lot of fanfare as a top recruit and McDonald's All-American, but he never fit in at school and got his season cut short by an investigation into his eligibility.

His prep pedigree is still intriguing, and he has tangible skills that could translate to the next level. His length is superb for a power forward and he can dominate the glass on both ends.

However, Alexander will have to improve his all-around floor game to survive at the 4 in a more streamlined, finesse-oriented league. His skill set is more like that of an offensively limited center, but he doesn't have the height to play the position full-time in the pros.

The Lakers can afford to take a chance with their second first-round pick in the draft. Alexander could prove a worthy gamble in the future.

Dakari Johnson

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

On the other end of the spectrum from Cliff Alexander is Dakari Johnson.

Johnson is a safe, solid pick that doesn't have tremendous upside. However, you can probably rely on him to be a rotation big capable of banging down low, hitting the glass and blocking opponents' paths to the rim.

He's not tremendously athletic, but he has the size and strength to be an obstacle on the way to the rim. With solid positioning and footwork, he can be an above-average defender in the league.

There isn't much to rave about on offense with Johnson. He doesn't finish over the top of guys due to his lack of explosion, but he has decent touch around the hoop and can catch the ball.

He is at least young for his class, not turning 20 until around the start of training camp. The Lakers need size up front, so if they go with a guard or wing early in the draft, they may look to shore up their back line with a big like Johnson.