4. DeAndre Bembry – Saint Joseph’s
Even for die-hard college basketball junkies, there are players at the mid-major schools that might have slipped under the radar a bit. For the casual fan, these might be players that they’ve never even heard of. However, Saint Joseph’s Hawks junior forward Deandre Bembry is a player that should be on everyone, especially the Lakers’, radar going into the 2016 NCAA Tournament. And if he’s not, he certainly will be by the time it’s over.
The 21-year-old Bembry was the leader and star for Saint Joe’s this season and thrived as he put up 17.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor. Though his prowess from long range was virtually non-existent while Bembry hit fewer than 30 percent of his threes, he’s a player that can make plays on both ends of the floor and do it at a high rate in a featured role.
Bembry is projected to fall to the beginning of the second round, right where the Lakers will be picking with the selection in 2016 that they’re guaranteed to keep. Looking at a player like Bembry that could help the Lakers in a number of areas going forward for only the cost of a second round pick certainly wouldn’t be the worst idea for LA.
Next: No. 3 Gary Payton II