The Draft List; Things Have Changed

Now that a few workouts have been completed, a few teams have raised the their opinions of certain players.  Players like Aaron Gordon, Noah Vonleh, and even Marcus Smart have shot up a consensus mock draft, while names such as Dante Exum and Julius Randle dropped down.

Apr 11, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Ryan Kelly (4) goes up against the defense of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

Still, when making a draft list, it’s all about picking your idea of who the best player is left available at the top.  Whoever is remaining gets drafted, that’s it.  Ryan Kelly was far higher up the Lakers’ list compared to the other teams.  For a 2nd round pick, he worked out very well.  Not only did he show his 3-point shooting ability, but he got more aggressive attacking the basket as the season went on.  His defense improved.  While he’s an average athlete at best, his basketball IQ, guard-like shooting ability, and tremendous standing reach give him tremendous advantages at the power forward position. So, let’s start the draft list with players who may drop to the Lakers pick.