Jalen Hudson
One area of concern for the Lakers this past season was 3-point shooting. The team ranked 29th in the NBA in 3-point percentage, knocking down 34.5 percent on the season. Two seasons ago, Los Angeles was last in the league in 3-point shooting. Los Angeles hasn’t ranked above 22nd in 3-point shooting since the 2014-15 season.
Finding long-range shooters is near the top of the Lakers to-do list this offseason. Even moving into the top-20 of the league in 3-point shooting would drastically improve the Lakers offensive efficiency.
If the Lakers are going to improve in that area in the draft, Jalen Hudson would be an excellent addition. Hudson improved his 3-point shooting each season in college, knocking down 40.2 percent last season at Florida. He knocked down multiple 3-pointers in all but nine games this season.
What you really like to see is that Hudson really stepped up against the best opponents that Florida faced. In 17 games against NCAA Tournament teams, Hudson averaged 17.8 points per game, compared to 15.5 per game for the season. That includes a 35-point game against Gonzaga.
Hudson has good size for a wing player, standing 6’5” and weighing 195 pounds. He has a chance to develop into a solid 3-and-D player and should be a second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Los Angeles owns the No. 47 overall pick. Hudson could be in play at that point.