Are the Lakers locked on Jahlil Okafor with the No. 2 overall draft pick?
Contrary to what Ricky Bobby taught us in "Talladega Nights," not being first doesn't mean being last. For the Los Angeles Lakers, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is a pretty cherry spot. It'd be nice to have the first pick, of course, but the Lakers will have an embarrassment of draft riches from which to choose after the Minnesota Timberwolves make their selection.
There's a growing consensus that Karl-Anthony Towns is the best player in the draft and that the Wolves will select the Kentucky big man first, although there are rumors that Minnesota GM Flip Saunders prefers Jahlil Okafor. If, however, the Wolves do select Towns, where does that leave the Lakers? Is Okafor the natural second pick?
Probably, says ESPN Insider Chad Ford, but it's far from a certainty. The Lakers have reportedly been doing their due diligence on a number of players who could go second, and a big man isn't necessarily the answer. But Ford writes that Okafor's size gives him the advantage:
"If Towns ends up going No. 1, then things get more complicated. I think the Lakers are torn between Okafor, [D'Angelo] Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay. However, the Lakers run a more traditional front office than most and have a tradition of dominant big men ruling the paint. I think, at the end of the day, the size of Okafor will win out."
That could put the Lakers in a tough spot. While there's literally nothing in the NBA like a supremely talented center, the current rules have created a league that's shifted away from post play. To some extent, that trend is reversing, but that's mostly been the case with bigger guards. If a team is going to invest a high lottery pick in a big man, it needs to be sure he can be a defensive linchpin against the pick and roll. And to this point in his basketball career, Okafor has not been that. He's a fantastic offensive talent, but he could find the going in the paint much more difficult as a pro.
(h/t ESPN.com)
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