The Lakers & Hidden Gems

[Ed Monix]

Since 2014, the Lakers have an impressive record at drafting talent in the late first or second round.

(46th) Jordan Clarkson
(27th) Larry Nance Jr
(32nd) Ivica Zubac
(27th) Kyle Kuzma
(30th) Josh Hart
(42nd) Thomas Bryant
(25th) Moritz Wagner
(47th) Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk
(UFA) Alex Caruso
(46th) Talen Horton-Tucker
(UFA) Austin Reaves

UFA = Undrafted Free Agent

[SparzWizard]

I remember the days when folks say Kyle Kuzma was better than Jayson Tatum

[Ed Monix]

I remember the days when folks say Kyle Kuzma was better than Jayson Tatum

They’re Lakers fans, 90% of them are idiots.

[kraidstar]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

[Birdman]

TP to u Ed, didn’t realize this.. but the GM, LeBron, ruin the future then by getting rid of all of them, except Reaves, so he can bring in his own prefer players

[BitterJim]

That's a pretty impressive list, especially the UFAs. And it certainly makes me wonder how much is drafting vs. development

I'm not sure what Svi is doing on there, though

[Moranis]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

[celticinorlando]

Passing on Tatum will forever haunt that poverty franchise.

[kraidstar]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

[Moranis]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

Sure they did. Randle was absolutely the right pick in 14.  In 15 they took Russell instead of Okafor, though the Zinger would have been the better pick.  There is no one else till Booker at 13 that would have been better than Dlo and no one would have taken Booker at 2.  In 16 they took Ingram.  I think Ingram vs. Brown is a matter of preference, and that is with Ingram getting hurt. If Ingram stayed healthy, he'd have been better. Now, perhaps Murray should have gone 2 (and that wasn't a stretch).  The only other player in the entire draft you'd even consider is Sabonis but he went 11 and wasn't a realistic option at 2.  17 they obviously missed on Tatum by taking Ball, but pre-injury Ball was on track to be very good and arguably could have been better than anyone other than Tatum.  Obviously, Fox, Mitchell, and Bam have all been very good, but Fox was the only guy in that group taken in the top 10.

Ball over Tatum is the only really egregious draft pick and that was apparent almost immediately. 

[celticsclay]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

Sure they did. Randle was absolutely the right pick in 14.  In 15 they took Russell instead of Okafor, though the Zinger would have been the better pick.  There is no one else till Booker at 13 that would have been better than Dlo and no one would have taken Booker at 2.  In 16 they took Ingram.  I think Ingram vs. Brown is a matter of preference, and that is with Ingram getting hurt. If Ingram stayed healthy, he'd have been better. Now, perhaps Murray should have gone 2 (and that wasn't a stretch).  The only other player in the entire draft you'd even consider is Sabonis but he went 11 and wasn't a realistic option at 2.  17 they obviously missed on Tatum by taking Ball, but pre-injury Ball was on track to be very good and arguably could have been better than anyone other than Tatum.  Obviously, Fox, Mitchell, and Bam have all been very good, but Fox was the only guy in that group taken in the top 10.

Ball over Tatum is the only really egregious draft pick and that was apparent almost immediately.

They should have taken jokic over randle.

[Roy H.]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

Sure they did. Randle was absolutely the right pick in 14.  In 15 they took Russell instead of Okafor, though the Zinger would have been the better pick.  There is no one else till Booker at 13 that would have been better than Dlo and no one would have taken Booker at 2.  In 16 they took Ingram.  I think Ingram vs. Brown is a matter of preference, and that is with Ingram getting hurt. If Ingram stayed healthy, he'd have been better. Now, perhaps Murray should have gone 2 (and that wasn't a stretch).  The only other player in the entire draft you'd even consider is Sabonis but he went 11 and wasn't a realistic option at 2.  17 they obviously missed on Tatum by taking Ball, but pre-injury Ball was on track to be very good and arguably could have been better than anyone other than Tatum.  Obviously, Fox, Mitchell, and Bam have all been very good, but Fox was the only guy in that group taken in the top 10.

Ball over Tatum is the only really egregious draft pick and that was apparent almost immediately.

They should have taken jokic over randle.

Since the entire NBA missed, I can't really fault their management.  Let's be glad they overlooked him.

[SparzWizard]

All thanks to Lavar Ball...who has been banished or disappeared after the Lakers shipped out Lonzo. Sheeeesh I remember his weekly hypes lol.

[Moranis]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

Sure they did. Randle was absolutely the right pick in 14.  In 15 they took Russell instead of Okafor, though the Zinger would have been the better pick.  There is no one else till Booker at 13 that would have been better than Dlo and no one would have taken Booker at 2.  In 16 they took Ingram.  I think Ingram vs. Brown is a matter of preference, and that is with Ingram getting hurt. If Ingram stayed healthy, he'd have been better. Now, perhaps Murray should have gone 2 (and that wasn't a stretch).  The only other player in the entire draft you'd even consider is Sabonis but he went 11 and wasn't a realistic option at 2.  17 they obviously missed on Tatum by taking Ball, but pre-injury Ball was on track to be very good and arguably could have been better than anyone other than Tatum.  Obviously, Fox, Mitchell, and Bam have all been very good, but Fox was the only guy in that group taken in the top 10.

Ball over Tatum is the only really egregious draft pick and that was apparent almost immediately.

They should have taken jokic over randle.

Since the entire NBA missed, I can't really fault their management.  Let's be glad they overlooked him.

Yeah, you can't look back on a draft and say a 2nd round pick should have gone 1 and the team drafting at 1 failed as a result.  There has to be a realistic look back on things. Now if you are just doing a redraft, sure you put Jokic at 1, but that doesn't the teams in the lottery failed because Jokic hit it big. 

[celticsclay]

Too bad they blew their picks at the front end of the draft

They actually did relatively well at the top as well.  Obviously Tatum instead of Ball would have been best pick (even before Ball injury), but they mostly picked well high.  Drafting was never Lakers' issue

No they didn't

Sure they did. Randle was absolutely the right pick in 14.  In 15 they took Russell instead of Okafor, though the Zinger would have been the better pick.  There is no one else till Booker at 13 that would have been better than Dlo and no one would have taken Booker at 2.  In 16 they took Ingram.  I think Ingram vs. Brown is a matter of preference, and that is with Ingram getting hurt. If Ingram stayed healthy, he'd have been better. Now, perhaps Murray should have gone 2 (and that wasn't a stretch).  The only other player in the entire draft you'd even consider is Sabonis but he went 11 and wasn't a realistic option at 2.  17 they obviously missed on Tatum by taking Ball, but pre-injury Ball was on track to be very good and arguably could have been better than anyone other than Tatum.  Obviously, Fox, Mitchell, and Bam have all been very good, but Fox was the only guy in that group taken in the top 10.

Ball over Tatum is the only really egregious draft pick and that was apparent almost immediately.

They should have taken jokic over randle.

Since the entire NBA missed, I can't really fault their management.  Let's be glad they overlooked him.

Yeah, you can't look back on a draft and say a 2nd round pick should have gone 1 and the team drafting at 1 failed as a result.  There has to be a realistic look back on things. Now if you are just doing a redraft, sure you put Jokic at 1, but that doesn't the teams in the lottery failed because Jokic hit it big.

Yeah I know I was not really being serious. But to be a little more serious how much credit to the lakers get for drafting guys like Randle or Zubac they just lose for nothing?