The Lakers used the No. 32 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft to make a great value pick in Ivica Zubac
It was a good night for the Los Angeles Lakers. After enduring the worst season in franchise history, the team was rewarded with the number two overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
To virtually nobody’s surprise, the Lakers took Brandon Ingram, widely believed to be among the best players (if not the best) in his draft class.
What the team would do with its second round pick, however, was up in the air. Thanks to a wildly unpredictable first round of the draft that saw a record 14 international players selected, the Lakers were in a position to draft certain prospects who had been mocked to go higher in the first round.
Among those was Ivica Zubac, a 7-1, 19-year-old big man from Bosnia and Herzegovina (listed as Croatian nationality, however) who was initially ranked the 16th best prospect in the whole draft by Draft Express.
However, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, the reason behind Zubac’s fall had nothing to do with his talent.
Only reason Ivica Zubac dropped to the 2nd round is he was insisting in coming to the NBA straight away. Turned down multiple stash offers.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 24, 2016
Zubac is a skilled prospect who can finish around the rim and potentially thrive in the pick and roll with Lakers guards D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson. Likewise, Zubac is an incredibly mobile player for his size and should be a good fit in Luke Walton’s run-and-gun offense.
Next: 2016 NBA Draft: Lakers Select Brandon Ingram
For a team in need of a center following the presumptive departure of Roy Hibbert, Zubac appears to be a good choice and one that could really develop into a high quality contributor moving forward.