Lakers Draft: Top 2nd Round Selections In Modern NBA Draft

This past year Lakers’ rookie Jordan Clarkson opened a lot of eyes when he was the 46^th player selected in the second round of the draft but ended up on the first team All-Rookie team at the end of the season. Draymond Green is a young, prominent member of the Golden State Warriors who won the NBA title this year, yet he was chosen 35^th in the second round of the 2012 draft. Most NBA stars were first round selections, and many were lottery selections, yet players such as Clarkson and Green demonstrate that solid NBA contributors can be found in the second round as well. The Lakers have the 27^th and 34^th selections in this year’s draft.

-== Best Lakers Draft Pick & Free Agent Pairings ==-

Here is a sampling of top NBA players drafted in the second round since 2000. If the Lakers can snag someone of this caliber with the 27^th or 34^th selections this year it will set them on a positive path towards becoming a playoff team again.

1. Marc Gasol:

Gasol was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 48^th pick in the 2007 draft. He never played for the Lakers, as his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzles for this brother Pau Gasol has steadily improved each year in the league and eventually he became an All-Star.  This past season he was chosen as the first team All-NBA center. This offseason he is perhaps the most coveted unrestricted free agent, though it is unlikely he will leave the Grizzles. Gasol excels on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court, and he is still in his prime. One could argue that Gasol was the best steal in the draft in the past decade.

2. Manu Ginobili:

Ginobili was selected by San Antonio with the 57^th pick in the 1999 draft although he did not join the team until 2002. He is one of only two players to win a European title, an NBA title, and an Olympic Gold Metal. He spent his entire NBA career with the Spurs, where he has been a two-time All-Star and teamed with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker to bring San Antonio numerous NBA titles.  Throughout his career Ginobili has shown a knack for hitting the key shot, grabbing the big rebound, or making the crucial steal, just when it was needed, and he has often played off the bench where he always brought great energy. Ginobili is reaching the end of his basketball career but he will always be remembered as one of the best foreign players to ever play in the NBA.

3. Gilbert Arenas.

Arenas was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 31^st pick of the second round in the 2001 draft after attending Grant High School in Los Angeles and the University of Arizona. Arenas became a three time NBA All-Star, a three time member of the All-NBA team, and he was voted Most Improved Player in the 2002-03 season. Always a prolific scorer, Arenas averaged more than 20 points per game for his NBA career. In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, he averaged career highs of 29.3 and 28.4 points per game, making him one of the top scorers in the league. He averaged 34 points per game for Washington, for whom he played most of his career, in the 2006 playoffs. Arenas got into trouble with the NBA late in his career, and his name may not be mentioned with the top player of the past decade, but the truth is when he was in his prime he was one of the deadliest scorers in the league.

4. Kyle Korver:

After starring in college at Creighton, Korver was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 51^st selection of the second round in the 2003 draft, who immediately traded him to New Jersey. Subsequent stops included Utah, Chicago, and Atlanta. Korver is considered one of the best three-point shooters of all time. During the 2013-14 season he set the NBA record for most consecutive games in which he made at least one three-pointer (127 straight games). He also holds the highest three-point field goal percentage in a season at 53.6%.  Korver made the NBA East All-Star team this past season and was a crucial member of the Hawks as they achieved the best record in the Eastern Conference. He also won the Joe Dumars trophy in 2014-15 as NBA Sportsman of the Year.

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5. Carlos Boozer:

Boozer was chosen by the Cleveland Caveliers with the 34^th pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He has also played for Utah, Chicago, and most recently the Lakers. He was a Parade All American in high school and later a key member of the Duke basketball team which won the NCAA title in 2001.  After joining the NBA, he became a two time All-Star selection. Twice he averaged more than 20 points per season and in other years fell just short of that mark. For his career he has averaged 52% shooting from the field and 9.5 rebounds per game. Boozer is not a superstar but he has enjoyed a very solid NBA career.

6. Paul Millsap:

The Utah Jazz made Millsap their number 47 selection in the second round of the 2006 draft, and he has consistently exceeded expectations. He played his first seven seasons with the Jazz and the last two with Atlanta. This past season he was a star on a Hawks squad that amassed the best record in the Eastern Conference. Millsap may not excel at any one thing but he is very good at almost everything, and from time to time he rises to the occasion and plays like a superstar. He is a career 50% shooter from the field and averages more than seven rebounds per game.