Lakers News: Latest Buzz Surrounding 2017 NBA Draft Plans
It's hard to exaggerate the importance of the upcoming draft for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Get it right, and the Magic Johnson-led front office adds to an already impressive young core and stands a better shot at making the Lakers a destination free agents don't laugh at anymore while using a supposed interest there as a leverage point with other franchises.
Meaning, hello Paul George or another superstar.
Get it wrong, and the inverse happens—the young core in place keeps along the same track, but the odds free agents help revive the franchise don't look great.
And that's one angle of many. The point is, the Lakers can't afford to miss with the second pick in the draft. Here's a look at the latest news surrounding the team's approach to the entire process.
Ball Isn't the Only Prospect Lakers Like
It's easy to mock UCLA's Lonzo Ball to the Lakers and call it a day.
But it's never really that easy, is it?
The easy answer is no. Los Angeles has plenty of options with the second pick. Maybe the team wants another point guard like Markelle Fultz or De'Aaron Fox. Maybe the front office watches the dominance of superstar forwards in the Finals right now and rolls the dice on a Josh Jackson.
So goes the line of thinking in a recent column by ESPN.com's Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton, who noted some in the front office like Fox and Jackson:
"While the feeling is that Ball is a good fit with the Lakers offensively, Fox and Jackson are gritty defenders and vocal leaders on the court, something the Lakers feel the team is lacking. Jackson in particular seems to have some strong supporters in the organization who think defense should be the priority."
The writeup even mentions the fact Jackson has always been a favorite and the front office noticed when Fox got the best of Ball in a head-to-head encounter last season. Perhaps more important than anything, it noted the front office leaned towards Ball when Mitch Kupchak was still leading the way.
He's not now, and it's not hard to see why the franchise might want to nab a player like Jackson. The Kansas product is 6'8" and 202 pounds of elite two-way potential thanks to his ability as a scorer and on-ball defense.
Granted, Jackson arriving would create some interesting lineup wrinkles with Brandon Ingram and shut down any George talk, but there's nothing wrong with a front office taking its preferred prospect when so much hangs in the balance.
De'Aaron Fox's Workout
Then again, as hinted, the Lakers could pivot and go with Fox.
Fox is the guy gaining the most steam on the speculation market when it comes to the Lakers, and it's not too difficult to see why. He's all of 6'3" and 169 pounds right now, but his skill set will remind many of a collegiate John Wall.
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, the Lakers will host an individual workout with Fox on June 13.
The knee-jerk reaction to Fox-to-Lakers suggestions seems to be anger. But it's clear the Lakers look at this comparison and see a few things. One, UCLA and Kentucky clashed in the Sweet 16 and Ball simply couldn't keep up—Fox dropped 39 points in 36 minutes during the 86-75 win, while Ball played 38 and scored 10.
Two, the Lakers look at Fox and see easily the best backcourt defender in the class. It's not a sexy offensive selling point around draft time, but it's something capable of paying dividends down the road.
In other words, Fox isn't a bad option. His arrival does the same thing in moving D'Angelo Russell to the 2. And while he isn't the passer Ball is (nobody is in this class), he's also not a weak point opponents can exploit on the opposite end of the court.
Lonzo's Workout
All this other noise aside, Ball recently made waves during his workout with the Lakers.
The 6'5", 195-pound point guard put on a show for the Lakers, doing his usual on-court regiment and needing to squash topics with the front office such as his father, LaVar.
Overall? Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times captured the vibe:
Mike Trudell of the team's official website offered the following about the LaVar situation:
These are all expected developments for the Lakers, who had a front-row seat to most of Ball's collegiate home games and didn't have to travel far to get the behind-the-scenes scoops on his environment outside of the game itself.
It all leads to Magic and others assuring Lonzo he'd be the face of the rebuild right out of the gates.
"They said they want me to come in, if I get picked, and be a leader," Ball said, according to Trudell. "Play with a lot of pace. The stuff they were saying was very positive, and it kind of fits my game."
It's hard to imagine Ball wouldn't end up matching expectations set on him by the front office. A guard with his passing skills and court vision hasn't entered the league in quite a long time, and he'll immediately get to put those skills to use while growing alongside Russell, Ingram and Julius Randle, if not a big free agent who joins at a later date.
While it was hard to predict the above would go any other way, it's still important to note the clear rapport between the Lakers and Ball. Maybe the Lakers don't make him the pick on draft day, but chalk this up as more evidence many can use to make the prediction easier.
Either way, the Lakers aren't shy about the names they trust in this year's class.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
