2014 Draft
Julius Randle – The No. 7 pick of the draft, he was the first top ten pick the Lakers had since they selected Andrew Bynum back in 2005. In his first NBA game, Randle broke his leg and missed the rest of the season. But he recovered and had three good seasons with the Lakers, improving each year and overall averaging 13.5 points and nine rebounds a game.
Two years ago, the team allowed him to leave in free agency to free up cap space. He played one season alongside Anthony Davis in New Orleans, where he scored a career-high 21.4 PPG and showed increased shooting range, connecting on 34.4 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Randle then signed a lucrative contract with the talent-deprived Knicks, where he is having another good season. He has started every game and is the team’s leading scorer (19.3 PPG) and rebounder (9.6), although his field goal percentage has dropped to just 45.5 percent.
Overall: Randle is a solid NBA player, performing well at a tier below all-star level.
Jordan Clarkson – The Lakers purchased the No. 46 pick and used it to select Clarkson, a combo guard who pleasantly surprised most fans to earn significant court time his rookie season.
Clarkson played nearly four seasons with the Lakers, averaging 12.6 points and three assists. In his last two years, he was used mostly in a reserve role. Then, in a salary-cutting move, he was traded to Cleveland.
He played exclusively in the sixth-man role for the Cavs and averaged a career-high 16.8 PPG last year. His numbers and minutes had dropped a bit this season with Cleveland, but once he was traded to Utah, Clarkson has flourished, shooting a career-best 48.7 percent and averaging 16.2 PPG, including three straight games of 20 or more points just before the All-Star break.
Overall: Clarkson remains one of the league’s best off-the-bench scorers and is a valuable weapon for the Jazz.