Who did the Los Angeles Lakers end up with in the 2017 NBA Draft redraft done by Bleacher Report?
The Los Angeles Lakers have to be happy with how the 2017 NBA Draft turned out. The Lakers ended up making four selections; No. 2, No. 27, No. 30 and No. 42. Los Angeles had only the No. 2 and No. 28 picks heading into the offseason, but Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka made some deals to add to their draft capital.
The Lakers acquired Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov. On draft night, Los Angeles completed a trade with the Utah Jazz, sending out the No. 28 pick and receiving No. 30 and No. 42.
The Lakers look like they have hit a gold mine with those picks. With the second overall pick, the Lakers picked UCLA point guard, Lonzo Ball. Kyle Kuzma, out of Utah, was selected with the 27th pick, while Villanova guard Josh Hart heard his name called at No. 30. Indiana center Thomas Bryant was the 42nd pick.
All three first-round picks showcased their talents during the 2017-18 season. Bryant dominated in the G League but didn’t receive many opportunities with the NBA team.
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Ball is every bit the playmaker and passer as he was advertised. He even has shown defensive chops no one believed he had. His jumper is a work in progress, but there is a lot to like.
Kuzma shocked the basketball world proving all his doubters wrong. Many draft pundits believed Kuzma couldn’t fulfill the stretch-4 role. All he did was tie for the team lead with 16.1 points per game, knocking down 159 3-pointers on the season. Hart displayed the same versatile skill set he showed at Villanova, turning into a key reserve for Los Angeles when he wasn’t fill in for a starter.
Seeing how things turned out, plenty of teams would like a redo on the 2017 NBA Draft. Bleacher Report recently did a re-draft of the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Who did the Lakers select in the re-draft? Where did their original picks land? Some of the changes may surprise you!