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Los Angeles Lakers receive good mark in Chad Ford’s 2017 NBA Draft grades

By Kenneth Teape

Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Lonzo Ball (UCLA) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Lonzo Ball (UCLA) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Lakers received a very good mark from Chad Ford in his 2017 NBA Draft grades.

The Los Angeles Lakers were busy during the 2017 NBA Draft. They were making moves for the draft even before Thursday night when the festivities began.

A few days before the draft, the Lakers completed a trade with the Brooklyn Nets. The Lakers would send D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn, receiving Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the draft in return.

Los Angeles would try and package the newly acquired pick in the draft in a deal for Paul George. The Indiana Pacers ended up not moving George, so the Lakers held onto the selection. But, they were not done trading.

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The Lakers would end up trading the 28th pick, which they had acquired from the Houston Rockets at the trade deadline for Lou Williams, to the Utah Jazz. From the Jazz, the Lakers acquired the No. 30 and No. 42 selections.

In total, the Lakers made four selections in the 2017 NBA Draft. With the second overall pick, the Lakers selected UCLA star point guard, Lonzo Ball. That was the first of three first round picks for the Lakers and the start of a wonderful night.

With the 27th selection, the Lakers took Utah power forward, Kyle Kuzma. With the final pick in the first round, the Lakers selected Villanova guard, Josh Hart. With the second round pick acquired from the Jazz, Los Angeles selected Indiana center, Thomas Bryant.

The Lakers filled plenty of holes with their selections. Ball will be the new leader on the court as the starting point guard. Kuzma gives the Lakers a low-post scoring presence with good court vision. He is an excellent rebounder and has shown the makings of a developing perimeter game.

Hart could be the Lakers starting shooting guard this season. He brings a lot of intangibles and a high basketball IQ with him. He could be used as a combo-guard off the bench as the backup point guard as he is a great distributor as well. Bryant could learn a lot from Lopez, as Bryant has the chance to develop into a stretch-five. His massive wingspan gives him the potential to be a force as a rim protector and rebounder as well.

The Lakers added some serious talent to their young nucleus. ESPN’s Chad Ford believes they did well, too. Ford gave the Lakers a grade of B+ for their draft. Here is part of what he had to say about the Lakers night.

"The Lakers got the guy who has been groomed his whole life to play for them. Ball might be the best passer at the position since Jason Kidd, with a feel for the game that allows him to see plays almost before they begin.Kuzma and Hart are much less sexy picks. Instead, both guys are fundamentally sound players who do everything well but nothing great. I can see them carving out nice careers as rotation players.Bryant was once a potential first-round pick. He is huge and very skilled and plays really hard. It’s his lack of athleticism, especially his heavy feet, that hurt his stock. Teams are looking for more mobility out of their big men."

Ball is the only player that has a role going into Summer League. But, all four have a chance to carve out a role on the team. Their skill sets are all needed on the roster, which puts them in a good position to succeed.

All of the players that were selected are high character players. The Lakers, under the new management of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka, want to set a new tone in the locker room. These players will help that with head coach Luke Walton leading the way.

Next: Full 2017 NBA Draft First Round Grades

The Lakers may not win too many more games this season than last, but they will be exciting to watch. They are certainly heading in the right direction.

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