NBA Draft 2015: Lakers to Have 'As Many As Four Picks'
It has been a bad season foor the Los Angeles Lakers, who currently have 13 wins to 35 losses heading in to the draft - where they are reportedly about to take four picks if everything goes as planned.
The team "will have as many as four picks in the 2015 NBA draft, although technically they could end up without a single selection in an extremely unlikely worst-case scenario," noted the Los Angeles Times.
The Lakers hold the fourth-worst record in the NBA, with slightly over an 8-of-10 chance of preserving their spot in the top five of the draft, the report noted. Because of the Steve Nash trade in 2012, they stand to lose it to the Phoenix Suns.
Still, according to the report, since the Houston Rockets (33-15), currently third in the Western Conference, sent first-rounder Jeremy Lin to the Lakers, the bottom team's pick relies heavily, sadly, on how bad the former would perform.
A second-round pick will probably not go to Orlando Magic, who've figured after Dwight Howard was traded. Also, the Lakers may also possibly fetch a second-rounder from the Los Angeles Clippers (33-16).
All these are circumstantial but, if they all happen for the Lakers, they should stop the dire performance in the past two seasons.
"Given how poorly the Lakers have fared the last two seasons, adding talent through the draft is both good and necessary," said the Los Angeles Times.
As early as Nov. 26 last year, The Bleacher Report released a piece on draft picks it should consider. It listed:
1. Jahlil Okafor, Duke, 6'11", Center. An early favourite for the No. 1 pick, the Duke University's star player averaged 15.8 points, 8 boards, 1.8 assists and 1.6 blocks.
2. Emmanuel Mudiay, 6'5", Point guard. Playing in China's Guangdong Southern Tigers, the Congolese-American's averages are quite high -- 17.7 points, 6 rebounds and 5.9 assists on the average, in 10 games played.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, Kentucky, 7'0", Center/Power forward. He is reliable all around, able to assume the support and main-player roles where necessary and packing an impressive 7'3" wingspan for defensive support.
4. Stanley Johnson, Arizona, 6'8", Small forward. He can rejuvenate a lackluster small forward position with a double-digit points-per-game average and monster dunks to boot.
5. Justise Winslow, Duke, 6'7", Small forward. Another man for the lacking department, and an ambidextrous one at ball-handling at that, he chalked up 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in five games.
6. Olivier Hanlan, Boston College, 6'4", Point guard. Good for the second round, the man is deceptive, shifty and at ease with the ball. His 17.6 points should hint at the quality of his play.
According to Rant Sports, "there's minimal value in piling up wins at this point," and the Lakers should therefore focus their energies on facilitating well and properly the transition that fans of the NBA have been waiting to see.
Especially for a team whose second-best player -- Nick Young -- might wish to opt out and whose veteran player Kobe Bryant is already fading away, the team needs trades and drafts, the report said.