Feb 8, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Memphis Grizzlies point guard Darius Morris (7) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Lakers simply didn’t draft as well in the 2000’s. The team had plenty of chances, but strong talent was drafted to other teams. Players that made sense for the Lakers were skipped upon.
Simply put, where are they now? Andrew Goudelock, Darius Morris, Devin Ebanks, Derrick Caracter, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol (traded), Jordan Farmar, Ronny Turiaf, Andrew Bynum, Sasha Vujacic, Brian Cook, Luke Walton, and Mark Madsen, didn’t have the kind of impact in the later rounds of the draft the Lakers had in the 1980’s into the 1990’s. Sure, a few players were key contributors to championship teams such as Farmar, Bynum, Vujacic, and Walton, but none of them remain on the team as a valuable asset to accelerate the rebuilding process.