2017 NBA Draft: 5 Picks Los Angeles Lakers Should Target Late in 1st Round
The Los Angeles Lakers are slated to make two selections in the 2017 NBA draft, but they only know the location of one of them.
That would be the 28th pick, acquired from the Houston Rockets at the deadline for super-sub Lou Williams.
It's not a position that typically yields great value, though it is where the San Antonio Spurs nabbed Tony Parker in 2001. More often, it's produced role players such as Leandro Barbosa, Ian Mahinmi and Wayne Ellington or forgettable flops such as Erick Barkley, Maurice Ager and Perry Jones III.
However, with a draft class this deep, the Lakers could be one of the lucky ones. When this choice comes on the clock, there should be some attractive options available, including prospects who can repair their faulty defense or fill current roster vacancies.
These five players in particular should be in L.A.'s crosshairs, and all can be found at or near the 28th pick in various mock drafts.
Ike Anigbogu, C, UCLA
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One look at Ike Anigbogu's UCLA statsheet says he has no business being in the NBA draft, let alone its first round.
A preseason meniscus tear put him behind the eightball, and the big man never fully closed the gap. By year's end, he held paltry per-game averages of just 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 13.0 minutes, although his 3.7 blocks per 40 minutes jumped off the page nonetheless.
Shift the focus to Anigbogu's physical tools, though, and he looks like he has no business being around when the No. 28 pick comes on the clock.
"He came in at slightly under 6'10", but he also has a 7'6"-plus wingspan to pair with a 9'2 ½" standing reach and an outrageous 5.4 percent body fat at 252 pounds," Sporting News' Sam Vecenie wrote. "Among big men, Anigbogu's measurements were best."
Anigbogu's blend of length, power and athleticism could be the perfect backbone to strengthen L.A.'s last-ranked defense. He is quick on his feet, fast off the ground, fluid in direction changes and consistently operating at maximum energy level.
He won't turn 19 until October, and his limited offensive game speaks to his rawness. While he's active as a rim-runner and offensive rebounder, he's neither a shooter nor a post scorer. But the Lakers would be glad to cover his shortcomings at that end if he could help stop the bleeding at the other.
Hamidou Diallo, SG, Kentucky
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Hamidou Diallo could follow the none-and-done path Milwaukee Bucks rookie big man Thon Maker blazed. Diallo started last season at a prep school before spending the spring semester practicing—but not playing—at Kentucky.
Drafting Diallo would require a leap of faith since he's short on experience, game film and polish. But like Maker, Diallo's natural gifts—which start with the 6'11 ¼" wingspan sprawling out of his 6'5" frame—are rich enough to intrigue suitors, particularly those with multiple first-round selections.
He aced the athletic testing portion of the NBA combine, placing among the top 10 in max vertical leap (first), standing vertical leap (seventh), three-quarter sprint (third), shuttle run (second) and lane agility (10th). His absurd 44 ½" max vertical was the second-highest in combine history.
His jumper isn't NBA-ready, and the same could be said of his awareness, handle and passing. But his enormous upside—ESPN Insider Chad Ford said a year at Kentucky "could put him in the lottery"—seems like a gamble worth taking this late in the round.
"The talent is there for him to play in the NBA; he is a great athlete, and there is no reason he can't bring his shot around," a scout told Sporting News' Sean Deveney. "He has good enough form. He can defend; I mean look at that wingspan."
The Lakers are loaded with young players who can run and gun, so a transition terror like Diallo would fit right in.
Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State
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The Lakers have a depth problem at point guard. Even if D'Angelo Russell is the present and future at the position, there is precious little behind him. Marcelo Huertas and Jose Calderon were both discarded during the season, while journeyman Tyler Ennis is now an unrestricted free agent.
Assuming this spot isn't addressed with a top-three pick, L.A. could find its plug-and-play reserve in Jawun Evans.
He's small in stature—only 5'11 ½" in shoes at the NBA Draft Combine—but large in statistics. The All-American was one of only two players to average at least 19 points and six assists last season, keeping defenders off-balance with crafty handles and rapid changes of speed and direction.
His lack of size and good-not-great athleticism present obvious problems on defense and around the rim. But he's tough, fearless and motivated to prove his size-obsessed naysayers wrong.
"The things I've been through in my lifetime, I've kind of [had] a chip on my shoulder with people telling me I'm small," he said, per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "I just kept working and got my foot in the door and that's how I got here."
Provided Evans' perimeter shooting translates more with its efficiency (career 40.7 percent) than its volume (55 makes in 54 games), he could end L.A.'s search for Russell's understudy.
Harry Giles, PF/C, Duke
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Who is Harry Giles—the top recruit of this freshman class or a falling star forever tarnished by injuries?
Right now, he's a little of both. He's been on NBA radars forever, making his first USA Basketball camp appearance at only 14 years old. He spent his prep career ranked higher than his one-and-done peers who now fill the top spots on every mock draft.
But his medical history reads like a Stephen King novel. Giles had three knee surgeries between 2013 and 2016, tearing ACLs in both knees plus the MCL and meniscus in his left knee. He was clearly limited by injuries at Duke, where he averaged only 3.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 11.5 minutes in 26 games.
So, is he a deeply discounted star or damaged goods? The mere asking of that question has put a cinder block on his shoulder.
"It kind of motivates you," Giles told NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper. "You're working out and in the game it kind of gives you a little edge. ... I just want to go out there and show them. Try to be the hunter. The team that wants to take a chance on me they won't regret it."
Giles stands 6'10 ½" with a 7'3 ½" wingspan and sports some of the longest (9 ½") and widest (10 ¾") hands at the combine. He's more fluid and mobile than most players his size, a gritty competitor and active going from end to end. If his powerful explosiveness returns, he could be the rare big man who comfortably gets above the rim and switches out to guard perimeter players.
Ivan Rabb, PF/C, California
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An extra year of seasoning at Cal seemed to work against Ivan Rabb. He looked like a lottery lock in last year's draft, but in this one, he's not even guaranteed to go in the first round.
Both his scoring and rebounding averages increased, but neither did so dramatically. Consistency was again an issue, and there weren't any major new wrinkles in his game.
That said, his selling points are the same—only now they're available at a cheaper price. He has size, length, bounce and a host of intangibles, plus a promising shooting touch that could be an asset down the line.
"With 6'11" size, terrific hands, impressive footwork and sharp instincts, he's a good bet to stick in an energy role that asks him to finish, rebound and score opportunistically in the post," Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman wrote. "He becomes a lot more valuable if he starts consistently sticking those catch-and-shoot or short-corner jumpers."
Rabb isn't overly strong or explosive, but he is skilled and smart. With better spacing than he had in college, he should become a more efficient finisher at the rim. That will help unlock his pick-and-roll game, which would grow more dangerous if he becomes a threat to pop as well.
He looks more like a reliable role player than a potential stud, but that's all teams hope to find at the back end of the first round.
Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com and Sports Reference.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @ZachBuckleyNBA.
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