Mar 15, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Florida Gators center Erik Murphy (33) shoots against the LSU Tigers during the quarterfinals of the SEC tournament at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Murphy:

Power Forward/Center, 6’9.5′″, 240 lbs. Senior, Florida University,  22 years old

2012-13 stats:

26.4 minutes, 12.2 points, 51.6 field goal percentage, 45.3 three point percentage, 78.4 free throw percentage, 1.4 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.7 blocks.

Strengths:

During his four years at Florida, Erik Murphy became one of the best shooting big men in all of college basketball. In his last season, Murphy took 4.4 threes (half of his total shots!!) a game. Murphy ranks second in PPP (Points Per Possession) off of jump shots for big men — only behind Doug McDermott. His shooting allows him to be a dangerous option in both the catch-and-shoot role, and the pick-and-pop. At 6’10 and 240 pounds, Murphy has great size for a power forward; this could allow him to develop a nice game down low. Besides his nice size, he has shown that he has nice touch around the rim.

His size should not only help him on offense, but on defense, as well. As he got more playing time, and his body filled out in college, he turned into a solid post defender. His length will allow him to defend well in the paint, but he leaves much to be desired when defending the perimeter. All-in-all, he’s an average defender.

Weaknesses:

As I mentioned above, his defense is okay, not great, and he needs to work on his perimeter defense — especially in today’s game where he could be guarding another stretch four. Also, his defensive rebounding is not very good at all. If you adjusted his stats to 40 minutes, he would only average 6.2 rebounds. That’s not what you want to see out of someone with his size.

Murphy doesn’t exactly have the best upside. He’s an okay athlete, but not that great. He doesn’t have a great upside because of this, and the Lakers could use upside right now.

Where he fits in with the Lakers:

Mike D’Antoni’s system is perfect for Murphy because it needs a stretch four — that’s exactly what Erik is. However, I only see him coming off of the bench, especially if we keep Howard. I’m not sure he can become a starter, but you really aren’t really hoping for a starter at the 48th pick.

Our take:

Caleb Cottrell: I have an irrational love for Murphy; I seem to love power forwards who can shoot the three: Kevin Love, Ryan Anderson, Ryan Kelly, and so on. So, I would love it if the Lakers drafted Murphy, and I could see him making some sort of impact off of the bench. It’s between Ryan Kelly and Erik Murphy for me; I would be fine with either, but I think Murphy is a little bit better than Kelly. That’s just me, though.

Jacob Rude: Ryan Kelly and Erik Murphy are basically the same type of player minus a couple things. I think both would be great fits on the Lakers. Murphy is a bit stronger than Kelly, but maybe not as good of range. Neither are great rebounders. However, like Caleb said, you don’t expect a starter at the 48th pick. If either Murphy or Kelly are available with the Lakers pick, they should be priority number 1A and 1B, with Kelly having a slight advantage in my book.

Mar 31, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly (34) shoots against the Louisville Cardinals in the first half during the finals of the Midwest regional of the 2013 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Kelly

Forward, 6’11″, 228 lbs., Senior, Duke University, 22 years old

2012-13 Stats

28.9 minutes, 12.9 points, 45.3% field goal percentage, 42.2% three-point percentage, 81.2% free throw percentage, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.6 blocks

Strengths

Ryan Kelly is one of the best jump shooters in the draft, and considering his size, he’ll find himself a spot in the NBA. He’s the prototypical stretch four for an NBA team and with the direction teams in the league are taking, he’s a bit of a desired asset. He improved his range on a year to year basis, shooting a deadly 42.2% from three last year, assuring he has NBA range.

Kelly also has a very high basketball IQ, which makes up for his lack of athleticism both offensively and defensively. He doesn’t have the foot speed to beat a player off the dribble, but has great handles, good court vision, and great passing. Defensively, while he isn’t strong nor quick, he’s smart and has great instincts, which makes him surprisingly good on the defensive end.

Weaknesses

He suffered a broken foot halfway through his senior season that sidelined him for half the year. While his first game back saw him score 36 points and shoot lights out from three, he averaged just 8.4 points a game after that. Given his size, he’s also a poor rebounder, averaging just over five rebounds a game last year. He’s also going to struggle with more athletic big men defensively as he lacks foot speed to keep up with them. He could afford to also put on a few pounds to bulk up, despite adding nearly 30 pounds to his frame while at Duke.

Where he fits with the Lakers

If Mike D’Antoni is committed to making his system work with this team, Kelly is exactly the type of four man he’s looking for. Kelly can stretch the floor at the four position for Dwight (if he stays) or Pau (if Dwight leaves). And with a hole at the stretch four position – Earl Clark is the only guy who can play there – Kelly would fill a need for the Lakers. With Antawn Jamison likely leaving, Kelly is basically a better defensive, slightly worse offensive version of Jamison.

Our take

Jacob Rude – I think Kelly would be a perfect fit. The Lakers lacked consistent shooting from the bench last year, with Antawn Jamison and Earl Clark going through long stretches of inefficiency. No big man in the draft has the shooting touch he does, and with Jamison likely gone and Clark a free agent, Kelly could step into their roles and contribute to the team.

Caleb Cottrell - I think Kelly fits, but there is another stretch four who will be in the Lakers range that goes by the name of Erik Murphy. Murphy is a little bigger, stronger, faster, better rebounder, and can shoot better (surprising). If Murphy is picked before the Lakers, I’m all for the taking a flier on Kelly. I could see him becoming a player like Ryan Anderson, which I would gladly take on the Lakers.