2011 NBA Draft Grades: Los Angeles Lakers Get an a

The Los Angeles Lakers had four second-round picks in the 2011 NBA draft, a draft that many people regarded as one of the least talented ever.

Although the talent across the board would not be as great as it had been in years past, the Lakers needed to fill some key needs in their backcourt.

With Kobe Bryant turning 33 and Derek Fisher turning 37 this summer, the Lakers needed to get younger at the guard position in the draft and potentially find a future replacement for Fisher at point guard.

There was speculation that L.A. would look to move up into the first round in order to fill those needs, but instead the Lakers chose to stay in their draft slots. 

The strategy seems to have paid off, but just how good was the Lakers 2011 draft?

Here are the grades for each of the Lakers 2011 NBA draft picks.

Pick 41: Darius Morris, Point Guard, Michigan

Grade: A

The Lakers wasted no time filling their most pressing need at point guard by drafting Michigan standout, Darius Morris with the 41st pick.

Morris, who was projected to be a first-round draft pick by many mock drafts entering Thursday, fell into L.A.'s lap. He's a first-round talent and one of the best mid-tier point guards who was available in the draft and the Lakers got him for second-round money.

There were some other good point guards available when the Lakers made their first pick. Josh Selby, Malcolm Lee and Charles Jenkins were all still on the board at pick 41, but the Lakers decided to go with Morris.

The L.A. native may not have the athleticism or upside of Josh Selby, the speed of Malcolm Lee, or the toughness of Charles Jenkins, but he does possess all the intangibles. He has incredible court vision, a great work ethic and strong leadership qualities.

Make no mistake, Morris also has loads of talent. He's one of the best defending guards in his class, is an effective shooter and has tremendous size for a point guard at 6'4".

He will need to improve his outside shooting and become more consistent, but his work ethic should allow him to develop pretty quickly. 

Los Angeles didn't need to try to do to much with their pick at 41, and with the talent they obtained without moving up in the draft, they earned themselves an A for the selection of Darius Morris.

Pick 46: Andrew Goudelock, Shooting Guard, College of Charleston

Grade: A

After filling their void at point guard, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Andrew Goudelock with the 46th overall pick to fill their three-point shooting void.

Steve Blake did not turn out to be the shooter everyone thought he would be, which made finding an outside shooting threat a top priority for the Lakers.

At the College of Charleston, Goudelock shot almost 42 percent from three, averaged almost 24 points his senior year and has close to the deepest range of anyone in the draft, including Jimmer Fredette.

At pick 56, the Lakers did have other options though. 

Travis Leslie, the shooting guard from Georgia was still available at 56—another player who had been projected in the first round by several mock drafts—and with Shannon Brown likely heading into free agency, L.A. could have picked up one of the best athletes in the draft. 

Also, the best spot up shooter in the draft in Jon Diebler was available and could have been selected. 

However, the Lakers got the best of both worlds with Goudelock. The shooting guard from the College of Charleston is a better athlete than Deibler and a much better shooter than Leslie.

He'll need to improve his defense, but his shooting alone will give him a great chance to make the roster this summer. 

Pick 56: Chukwudiebere Maduabum, Power Forward, Nigeria

Grade: A

It feels weird considering the selection of Chukwudiebere Maduabum as a good thing for the Los Angeles Lakers, but the reality is that the Lakers made this pick for the Denver Nuggets in exchange for a future second-round pick.

No one knows much about "Chu Chu," but apparently the Nuggets know enough to give up a draft pick for him.

By selecting Madaubum, the Lakers avoided having to take on another draft contract AND they got another pick in a future draft.

There's a good chance that a second-round pick in a future draft will offer more value than a second-round pick in 2011 did and certainly more value than some guy named "Chu Chu" presents.

Pick 58: Ater Majok, Power Forward, Sudan

Grade: B+

The plan all along for the Los Angeles Lakers was to use their last two picks to stash people overseas in order to avoid taking on another contract. 

They got half of it right, as Ater Majok is from overseas, but I don't think he was the best international player the Lakers could have taken.

In fact, he might have been the worst international player they could have taken. 

While it's likely that Majok will never play for the Lakers, if they were going to waste a draft pick, they could have done it with a gamble that actually had a chance of working out, even if it was a small chance. 

Xavi Rabaseda, Adam Hanga and Giorgi Shermadini were all international players available at 58, and all of them have more upside than Majok.

Still, I have no problem with stashing a guy overseas, so I can't knock the pick too much.

Overall Draft Grade

Final Report Card:

Pick 41: A

Pick 46: A

Pick 56: A

Pick 58: B+

Overall Grade: A

The Lakers needed to fill two major needs in the draft: a shooter and a point guard.

They got a first-round talent in Darius Morris at point guard and one of the best shooters in the draft in Andrew Goudelock. Oh, they also got a second-round pick in a future draft.

The 2011 NBA draft went about as well as it could have for the Lakers, and while they didn't draft anyone like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson or even Andrew Bynum, this was one of the most successful drafts in recent team history.

Now, we'll have to wait and see what type of impact they have on the former NBA champions.