1. Malcolm Brogdon – SG – Virginia
While Johnson at UNC may be a candidate for ACC Player of the Year, the award is likely going to go to this young man in Virginia Cavaliers senior shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon. Not only has Brogdon been phenomenal in his college exploits on the hardwood, but the 23-year-old also fits the mold as the exact type of player that the Lakers need on their roster.
Brogdon has been one of the best two-way players in the ACC and all of college basketball this season while he’s averaged 18.5 points per game shooting 41.5 percent from three while also anchoring one of the best defenses in the country on the perimeter. He may be average in size, but he’s a long, strong bodied guard that can match up with a variety of different types of matchups on the perimeter with effectiveness.
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It’s no secret that the Lakers desperately need both defense and shooting on the perimeter and Brogdon is a player that can provide both of those things and do so almost immediately at the NBA level. While the upside might not be there as he’s already 23 years old, Brogdon seems like the natural fit in Los Angeles if he’s there when the Lakers are picking early in the second round.