Los Angeles Lakers: 5 options for pick No. 28 in 2017 NBA Draft
Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) moves the ball in the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers have the 28th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. What players should they target to build a strong roster for next year and the future?
Superstar players generally come from the top half of the first round, as their talent and pedigree shines through before they enter the NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Lakers have been taking advantage of this fact, amassing high draft picks in each of the past three seasons to select Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram.
This year they will again pick at the top, and many expect them to take Lonzo Ball out of UCLA. That would give them a young core with upside and plenty of offensive versatility. But starters do not fill out a team, and the Lakers are armed with another first round pick they can use to build a strong roster top to bottom.
This year's group of prospects is both talented at the top and deep throughout the top 40. That means that at pick No. 28, the Lakers have a number of options to choose from. If they do draft Ball or another point guard, they will boast a young rotation of backcourt players including Russell and Jordan Clarkson.
They also have a tall stack of centers, from Larry Nance Jr. and Ivica Zubac to the highly paid Timofey Mozgov and the underrated Tarik Black. That doesn't even account for Randle's best position long-term perhaps being the pivot.
Where the Lakers need help is at the forward positions, where a backup to Brandon Ingram is a must-have. Whether Ingram ultimately plays the 3 or the 4, Los Angeles needs players at both forward positions.
As they look to the prospects likely to be available at 28, who stands out as a potential help on the wing? Which players can step in at the 4? And how does Los Angeles address its biggest weakness — a lack of strong defensive options among their core?
NBA Draft
Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
5. Sindarius Thornwell, SG, South Carolina
Julius Randle. Jordan Clarkson. D'Angelo Russell. Brandon Ingram. The current young core of the Los Angeles Lakers holds at least one thing in common: They are currently terrible on defense. Adding in a player such as Lonzo Ball will only multiply the issue. While Ingram in particular projects to be a plus defender, this team is building an offensive force that cannot stop anyone on the other end.
Enter a player such as Sindarius Thornwell, one of the NCAA Tournament's sudden-stars. The leading scorer for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Thornwell was also their best defensive player. With the size and strength to fight with any wing player, he could be a lockdown piece off the bench for the Lakers.
The reason Thornwell is projected to fall to the second round despite his tournament run and defensive chops is the offensive side of the ball. The senior wing can handle the ball well, but his methods of going from dribble to shot – be that a jumper or a drive – seem destined to fail at the next level. He will no longer have a size and strength advantage on those players guarding him, and NBA rotations are at a much higher level than the SEC.
Thornwell will never be a strong offensive piece, but if he can build his three-pointer into a consistent weapon then he becomes exactly the type of player a team needs in its arsenal, a 3-and-D wing to throw out on the other team's best scorer. With the offensive firepower the Lakers are assembling, they can afford to give up something on that end to get a plus defender.
If the Lakers believe he can improve the requisite areas of his offensive game, they should pull the trigger at 28. But they need to do their homework to ensure confidence in his development because in today's NBA, a non-factor offensively will become a non-factor rotationally in the playoffs.
Mar 12, 2017; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Edrice Adebayo (3) celebrates after a basket during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks during the SEC Conference Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky won 82-65. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
4. Edrice "Bam" Adebayo, C, Kentucky
While the Lakers have a logjam at the center position, what they do not have is a high-upside defensive piece. Timofey Mozgov is a solid defensive center, but he projects to trend downward as the young core begins to trend upwards. Zubac is stout but lacks the defensive foot speed. Nance can move his feet but lacks the size to be a true rim protector.
Bam Adebayo brings the complete defensive package, with a 7'3″ wingspan and high-end lateral agility. While his motor ran cold at times for the Wildcats, when it was revved he was flying around the court. With consistency, he could be agile enough to switch onto wing players while quick and athletic enough to swat shots at the rim.
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Offensively Adebayo is a pure rim-runner, with the frame to set hard screens and a nose for the basket as he sprints off. In transition he has the speed to charge the hoop and the hands to both gather rebounds or lob passes and slam them home. While his jumper is much more of a project, the issue is more with his footwork (something that can be addressed) so he comes with a sliver of upside.
Finally, Bam is a selfish rebounder, tearing down missed shots from either team. If the Lakers can unlock his motor, he should be in the mix on every rebound. With a team built on outside shooting, the presence of an athletic center who attacks the glass and can leap for lob passes is deadly for opposing teams.
The Lakers don't have space in their rotation for a 35-minute center, but a 15-minute energy big who exhausts opposing defenders and keeps opposing bench units from scoring always has a place on any team.
Apr 1, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oregon Ducks forward Jordan Bell (1) is defended by North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) in the first half in the semifinals of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
3. Jordan Bell, PF, Oregon
This pick would again bang the drum of defensive versatility but to an even larger degree. If Bam Adebayo has all of the tools to be a great defender, Jordan Bell has taken those tools and already become a great defender, perhaps the best in the draft.
Bell stepped in at center for the Ducks after starter Chris Boucher went down in the PAC-12 tournament, and turned into a blocking machine. He was everywhere on the court defensively throughout the NCAA Tournament, propelling the 3-seeded Ducks to the Final Four.
While succeeding defensively in the NBA requires a certain frame and talent level, the best defenders have instinct. Bell isn't the tallest or longest big in the draft, but his instincts are off the charts. He times his jumps perfectly, not wasting energy or time as he alters shots or straight-up blocks them. He stuffed eight shots during their Elite Eight victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.
Bell applies that same instinct to rebounding, especially on the offensive glass. He finds the right angle against opposing bigs and leaps at the exact moment to rip down the board or tap it back into the hoop. His soft hands help him with put-backs and his own shots, laying the ball up against the glass or catching lob passes for dunks.
The reason Jordan Bell could be available for the Lakers at 28 is that he lacks offensive polish, with little-to-no range or diversity to his skill-set. He has limited passing vision, turns the ball over, and cannot space the floor. Defensively he often relies on his jumping ability to secure rebounds instead of boxing his man out – a tendency that will get him killed at the next level.
But many of those things can be taught, or at least mitigated, and his defensive intangibles are truly off the charts. Bell could step in and be an impact defender from the jump, and the Lakers desperately need impact defenders. If he continues to improve as a player, that impact would only grow.
Mar 14, 2017; Dayton, OH, USA; Kansas State Wildcats forward Wesley Iwundu (25) moves the ball in the second half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first four of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at Dayton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
2. Wesley Iwundu, SG, Kansas State
The greatest need for the Lakers is on the wing, but the problem is that the rest of the league desires wings as well. Wing players with first-round talent are going to go in the lottery, and even players with significant weaknesses could leap into the first round.
One such player is Wesley Iwundu, a senior wing out of Kansas State. There are certainly reasons not to like Iwundu as a draft prospect — he will turn 23 early in his rookie season, he was not the most efficient scorer in college, and he doesn't bring a truly elite skill on either end of the court.
That being said, there isn't anything he is truly terrible at either. While he's not the draft's best passer, he is accurate when throwing dimes. At Kansas State he became comfortable running pick-and-rolls — a directly translatable skill. He shot 37.6 percent from three despite having to create most of those shots.
Defensively he brings versatility, the buzz word of recent drafts. As The Ringer notes, his ability to switch between guards and wings makes him a perfect fit for the modern position-less NBA. He has quick hands and lateral movement, enabling him to stay in front of a variety of opposing players.
Iwundu would be the perfect piece for a strong bench unit, pushing the ball in transition and serving as a secondary ball handler. He could play in larger units at the 2, slide down to the 3 or even later in his career, play as a small-ball 4. He's the perfect piece to plug into almost any lineup. The upside is there for Iwundu to become something even greater.
The highest upside available at 28 is not Iwundu – at 22 he's already formed into the basic player he is going to be. That player is valuable, but it's not franchise-altering.
That being said, at some point swinging for the fences should be passed up for a solid double, and Iwundu plays the perfect position to meet one of the Lakers' needs.
Los Angeles Lakers
Mar 17, 2017; Tulsa, OK, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs forward Semi Ojeleye (33) reacts during the second half against the USC Trojans in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
1. Semi Ojeleye, SF/PF, SMU
If the Los Angeles Lakers are targeting a true combo forward, they have three options. The first is to target one at the top, taking Kansas' Josh Jackson or Duke's Jayson Tatum. The second is to draft-and-stash an international prospect such as Rodion Kurucs or Jonah Bolden.
The third is Semi Ojeleye, the only combo forward with first round upside but enough drawbacks to keep him available for the Lakers at No. 28. Perhaps the best offensive player in the American Conference, Ojeleye lead the Mustangs to the NCAA tournament.
The 6'7″ junior brings the defensive versatility Los Angeles needs to target. He is strong with a low center of gravity, which will allow him to survive on switches. The combination of coaching he received at Duke and SMU have taught him how to move his feet well in cutting off driving lanes, staying in front of opponents and moving his hands without fouling.
Offensively he plays with the same level of intelligence, moving with patience and forcing a defense to adapt to him. He has high-level athleticism, which allows him to finish strong in traffic and pull up into a smooth shooting motion.
Ojeleye is already 22, so his upside isn't elite. He isn't a top-level passer, his motor has waned at times, and he probably won't be a long-term starter for the Lakers. But there's still a chance he reaches that level, and even if he doesn't he has the exact positional versatility to fit perfectly on their roster.
The Los Angeles Lakers have brought together a young core of high-upside talent, and under the oversight of new team president Magic Johnson there is hope for a brighter future. With their second pick in the first round, the Lakers have the opportunity to address some glaring needs to help their team build a complete roster and rise back up the ranks of the NBA.
