One can argue that the Lakers have the hardest pick in the NBA Draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves have it pretty easy, they are taking Karl-Anthony Towns and everybody knows it. The Lakers on the other hand could pick Jahlil Okafor, D’Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay or even Kristaps Porzingis.
-== Best Lakers Draft Pick & Free Agent Pairings ==-
The Lakers have done all their homework and they will finally make a decision on Thursday night. The workouts with all the top prospects are done and now they head to New York will they meet with different media outlets as Thursday approaches.
D’Angelo Russell has made a case to be the second overall pick, but this morning it was reported the Lakers are heavily leaning in Okafor’s direction. If the Lakers do choose Russell, he is aware of the expectations that come with playing with Kobe Bryant. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, Russell does not expect to be handed anything, including being mentored by Bryant:
"“If I were to go to the Lakers, I wouldn’t want anybody to hand me anything,” Russell told Yahoo Sports. “I wouldn’t expect Kobe to take me under his wing. I think he will want to see a resemblance of that hunger and fire that he came into the league with as a young kid. No one needs to be nicest guy in the world, or needs to pretend to be that. He will see through that, pick all that apart."
Okafor is the safe and easy pick, but Russell does have something special about him. He understands that Kobe won’t simply take him under his wing because he’s a high draft pick. The Ohio State Buckeye wants to prove himself and show Kobe he has the similar fire and hunger that Kobe had as a young 18 year old kid from Lower Merion High School.
It’s important to have this mentality when playing with the Mamba. Too many players want to be friends with Kobe and don’t understand that all he wants to do is win. Russell understands that and those type of comments are what makes him appealing.
You can’t go wrong with either player and we won’t really know which was the right pick until 5-10 years from now. Let’s hope the Lakers get it right.