Los Angeles Lakers: 3 players that should’ve been drafted instead of Moritz Wagner

1. Mitchell Robinson

In a modern NBA where quality big men seem to be at a premium, Robinson could’ve been seen as a decent asset for the Lakers moving forward.

At 7-foot-1 and 240 pounds, he has legit size for the 5 spot, and he backed it up by averaging 7.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game in just 20.6 minutes for the New York Knicks.

He improved on those numbers in the second half of the season, posting 9.8 points, 9.2 boards and 2.9 blocks despite the fact that he was only playing 24.5 minutes during that span. He also grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 14 of his final 30 games.

If the Lakers, and not the Knicks, had drafted Robinson, is it possible that general manager Rob Pelinka wouldn’t have felt the need to take a flyer on DeMarcus Cousins, or at least Dwight Howard?

Both of them are over the hill to some extent and bring significant baggage with them.