Iowa State Point Guard, Monte Morris
Of all the prospects on this list, Morris may be the most intriguing one. If the Lakers plan with the No. 2 pick drastically change and they do not take Lonzo Ball, point guard will be squarely in play with the 28th pick. If that is the case, Morris is someone the Lakers should definitely consider adding.
Morris is one of the most underrated prospects in this year’s draft class. Morris has good size for a point guard, standing 6-feet-3 inches tall. Everything you want a prototypical point guard to do, Morris can do.
He is an excellent distributor that sees the court well. He has three-point range on his jump shot and rebounds well for a point guard. Arguably the most impressive thing that Morris does is limit turnovers. Despite having the ball in his hands constantly and running the offense, Morris committed only 165 turnovers in 140 career games. That kind of ball security is unheard of, as Morris had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.7.
The only real knock against Morris is his lack of athleticism. If he can play well in workouts, he should be able to move into the latter part of the first round. There is nothing flashy about his game, but he gets the job done.
Next: Full First Round 2017 NBA Mock Draft
Morris has all of the makings of a quality backup point guard. His athleticism didn’t slow him down much in college, as he has a game that should translate well to the NBA. He should be in serious consideration at No. 28 for the Lakers, especially if Russell or Clarkson are traded this offseason.