Ranking the Top 10 Draft Picks in Lakers History

10. Jordan Clarkson (Round 2, Pick 46, 2014)

Perhaps this might be a bit premature, but finding a player like Jordan Clarkson in the 2014 NBA Draft is absolutely huge for the Lakers in their current state of affairs. The Lakers acquired the No. 46 pick in the 2014 Draft for cash considerations in a draft day trade with the Washington Wizards and Clarkson was the who they wound up with.

There’s a good chance that the Lakers didn’t expect anything out of Clarkson as a rookie or possibly even expect that much for his career in Los Angeles. However, he established himself as one of the most consistent forces on the team last season and is almost surely the best player on the roster this season in terms of production, consistency, and generally not making horrendously poor decisions.

Clarkson still has a ways to go in terms of developing and growing as a player, particularly on the defensive end and in terms of his overall playmaking. His ability to score and the development of his jumper are already impressive, though.

The value and potential impact of the Clarkson selection is enormous. While adding a couple of lottery picks in the past two seasons is undeniably important, adding a potential cornerstone piece to a rebuild with a second-round pick is huge for the Lakers. He still has a ton of basketball ahead of him to determine just how good of a move it was for Los Angeles, but it looks hugely important to the Lakers as of right now.

Next: No. 9 Clyde Lovellette