The Lakers, the 2014 Draft, and the Kawhi Leonard Experience
By Mike Garcia
How Does This Work for the Lakers?
Going by draft workout results and relative media hype about the players, Marcus Smart has gone up the draft while Aaron Gordon has slipped a bit. Keep in mind, Smart is a fairly polished player with tremendous competitiveness. Once the NBA executives see that tenacity along with his physical tools and skills, they’ll want him as a player. It’s understandable. Aaron Gordon, slipped a bit. The hardest part about the draft is seeing upside. Most of the time, upside is based on physical tools. A player can get away with a lot with great wingspans, great height, and tremendous athleticism. But, it’s the drive and work ethic that make a player reach a peak level of play, increase skill level, and maintain peak level for an extended period of time.
The Lakers saw that drive and skill out of their own franchise player, Kobe Bryant. Sure, Kawhi Leonard doesn’t have that level of skill, but he brings the character behind the franchise player. One could make an excellent argument that Jerry West drafted Derek Fisher on his character complementing his basketball skills. We have all seen how that worked out.
Perhaps it’ll be Marcus Smart who can carry the torch for the Lakers. Perhaps, it’s Aaron Gordon.