Bleacher Reported recently graded every team’s draft. What grade did the Los Angeles Lakers receive for their three picks.
After drafting very well the past few years, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking to continue that success this season. With three picks overall, one of which being in the first round, the Lakers had a chance to add some more talent to their young core.
Starting with the 25th pick, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Michigan center Moritz Wagner. At nearly 7’0” Wagner will provide the Lakers with a big man that can spread the floor. Since Brook Lopez is a free agent this offseason, adding Wagner was likely done to be his replacement.
After Wagner, the Laker made somewhat of a puzzling pick by selecting Isaac Bonga with their first of two second-round picks. Bonga isn’t going to be coming over this season, as he is a draft and stash player. Since this was the pick that the Lakers acquired from the Philadephia 76ers, it was a bit surprising to see them use it on a player that won’t be over this season to contribute.
Following the selection of Bonga, the Lakers then added some more shooting by taking Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk. Shooting was clearly a priority for the Lakers, and Mykhailiuk was one of the best in the draft.
This draft class received different reactions, as it wasn’t as strong on paper as recent years. Bleacher Report gave the Lakers a grade of C. The grade of a C given to the Lakers is pretty fair, as most people had them at either a B or C.
For the Lakers, while Wagner fits a need as a shooting big, he could be a big liability defensively. In addition to Wagner struggling on the defensive end, Mykhailiuk also could struggle as a defender with a poor wingspan for a 6’8” player.
Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft first round grades
The selection of Bonga might be a good in a few years, but he is an extremely raw talent at this point and its hard to tell what type of player he could be in the NBA if he comes over. Overall the grade of a C is very fair. While the Lakers did improve in an area of need by adding two shooters, they will be sacrificing quite a bit on the defensive end.