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Los Angeles Lakers select Jalen Bruson in FanSided NBA Mock Draft

By Kenneth Teape

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Jalen Brunson #1 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Jalen Brunson #1 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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With the No. 25 pick in the 2018 FanSided NBA Mock Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select Villanova point guard, Jalen Brunson.

The Los Angeles Lakers will be on the clock at No. 25 and No. 47 in the 2018 NBA Draft. While finding impact talent that late in the draft isn’t easy, the Lakers have been able to do it in recent years.

Last year Kyle Kuzma was selected with the No. 27 overall pick. Soon after that, the Laker snagged Josh Hart with the No. 30 overall pick. Both players far exceeded expectations placed on players in those draft slots. Los Angeles will be looking to hit once again near the end of the first round.

The Lakers have a few different needs this offseason. Everyone knows they want to land two max free agents, namely LeBron James and Paul George in free agency. Rounding out the remainder of the roster around them, if signed, will be the tough part.

Los Angeles needs more floor spacers. They were not a good 3-point shooting team last season, and haven’t been for a few years. Shoring up the backcourt behind Lonzo Ball and adding another ball handler would also be smart. In the 2018 FanSided Network-wide NBA Mock Draft, we have the Lakers accomplishing both.

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Over at FanSided, a mock draft was done involving all of the NBA sites. Each website represented the team they write about in the draft. With the 25th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Lake Show Life selected Villanova point guard, Jalen Brunson.

Brunson fits the bill of what the Lakers are looking for in this year’s draft. Looking to take the next step in their rebuild, Brunson is an NBA ready talent that can be inserted right into the rotation. He has a winning pedigree, helping Villanova to two National Championships in his three seasons with the program.

Brunson exhibits excellent leadership qualities and has the skillset to lead a team. He is a gamer that doesn’t back down.

Last season, Brunson took home the AP Player of the Year, NABC Player of the Year, Naismith Award, Sporting News Player of the Year, The Bob Cousy Award, USBWA Player of the Year and Wooden Award. He was also named Big East Player of the Year and was a consensus All-American on the first-team.

Brunson averaged 18.9 points, 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game. He is extremely efficient, shooting 52.1 percent from the field, 40.8 percent from the 3-point line and 80.2 percent from the foul line. His diverse offensive game is something that would play well off of the playmaking abilities of Lonzo Ball, enabling them to play together.

Next: 3 Reasons Lakers Should Draft Jalen Brunson

Brunson is slightly undersized, but more than makes up for it with his basketball IQ and intangibles. He should have no problem carving out a role in the Lakers backcourt and will continue bringing that Villanova winning mentality that Josh Hart brought last season.

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