Los Angeles Lakers land Donte DiVincenzo in Bleacher Report mock draft
The Los Angeles Lakers own two selections in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft. The Lakers will be on the clock with the No. 25 and No. 47 overall selections.
A lot of attention is given to first-round picks by the fans, and understandably so. Those are the players expected to step in right away and help take a team to the next level. Despite selecting late in the first round even though they missed the playoffs, the Lakers have found success here previously.
Last year alone the Lakers landed Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart late in the first round. Kuzma was selected No. 27 overall and Hart was selected No. 30. Both outperformed their draft slot, with Kuzma being selected to the All-Rookie First Team. Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team.
Los Angeles will be looking to strike gold once again this year with a late-round pick. They did it in 2015 with Larry Nance Jr. as well. Who will it be this year? In a recent mock draft at Bleacher Report, it will actually be someone that Josh Hart is very familiar with.
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In their recent mock draft following the NBA Draft Lottery, Bleacher Report has the Lakers selected Villanova guard, Donte DiVincenzo with the No. 25 overall pick. If the Lakers are able to snag the impressive combo guard at No. 25, they will have another solid building block on their hands in the backcourt.
Here is what Bleacher Report had to say about the selection.
"DiVincenzo could have played himself into the first round with his 31-point explosion in the national title game. But he built a case all year with playmaking (3.5 assists), shooting (40.1 percent on three-pointers) and exciting athleticism and energy. The Lakers could overpay to bring back Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, or they could promote Josh Hart and add his former Villanova teammate to their bench."
The Lakers roster is very much in flux right now. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brook Lopez, Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and Julius Randle are all free agents. Randle is the only restricted free agent.
It is no secret that the Lakers are looking to land two max contract players. With that goal in mind, the Lakers will need affordable talent to round out the roster. DiVincenzo would provide that as a versatile combo guard.
At 6’5″, DiVincenzo can play both backcourt spots. He has enough playmaking skill to play point guard and enough scoring and size to play off the ball as well. DiVincenzo is not as polished as Hart, but he probably has a higher ceiling than his former Wildcats teammate.
Like Hart, DiVincenzo stuffs the stat sheet and comes up big when his team needs him most. He was a driving force in Villanova winning the NCAA Tournament, as he scored 31 points in the championship game, knocking down five 3-pointers and adding five rebounds and three assists.
There have been rumors that the Lakers made a promise to center Mitchell Robinson at the NBA Draft Combine, but those have been shot down recently.
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If that is the case, and DiVincenzo is still around at No. 25, it would not be surprising to see the Lakers add another versatile player to their backcourt. The pick makes even more sense if they do not believe Caldwell-Pope or Thomas will be returning as free agents.