What the No. 2 pick means for Lakers
By Asha Doucet
The entire Los Angeles Lakers organization and their fans just let out a deep sigh of relief. The Lakers will keep their lottery selection with the No. 2 pick in the draft and now the real work begins.
First things first, the Los Angeles Lakers will have the second pick in the draft for the third straight year. It’s safe to say two is the Lakers’ lucky number.
Now L.A. will have its choice of Washington’s Markelle Fultz, UCLA’s Lonzo Ball, Kansas’ Josh Jackson and Kentucky’s De’Aaron Fox — the top projected players in this year’s draft.
The lottery results mean the Lakers not only have the No. 2 pick in the draft, but they also have the No. 28 pick, thanks to the mid-season trade of Lou Williams to the Houston Rockets, plus they keep their 2019 first-round pick.
This puts the Lake Show in the best possible position to rebuild.
It gives them the flexibility to make moves and guarantees them another shot at selecting a future All-Star, especially considering they have no second-round pick in this year’s draft and no first-rounder in 2018.
The Boston Celtics secured the No.1 overall pick and as much as Magic Johnson hates coming in second to the Celtics, he was all smiles and seen mouthing, “I’m good,” while fist pumping as the NBA announced the order of the first three draft picks.
The Lakers’ fate now means Rob Pelinka and Co. can execute Plan A and that’s where the hard work begins.
L.A. only has one team to worry about when it comes to grabbing available talent before them and if recent reports of Fultz going No.1 overall are true, the Lakers will have the choice of snagging Ball at No.2.
However, L.A. has been rumored to be looking away from Ball and toward other prospects such as Fox or Jackson.
Lonzo certainly has been vocal about wanting to stay local and play for the Lakers, but his
dad’s
recent decisions to skip the NBA Draft Combine and the lottery seem to be working against him and his chances of wearing the purple and gold.
Whichever player L.A. prefers, the Lakers are now in prime position to get him thanks to a little magic. Over the next several weeks the Lakers will be working tirelessly to presumably pick a top choice and a second choice on their draft board in case Boston selects their primary choice.
But the Celtics’ choice is not important; L.A. got exactly what it needed this year. So here we go. The Lakers’ rebuild officially starts now.
Whether L.A. keeps its pick or uses it for a trade package, the most important thing is they have it and with that comes incredible power and great responsibility.
Related Story: Why the Lakers should take Markelle Fultz
Who will the Lakers take with the No.2 pick in the draft? Should they include their pick in a trade package for an established star?