Los Angeles Lakers: Way-too-early draft candidates for the 2020 NBA Draft
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers still have a first-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft after sending a surplus of draft capital to the New Orleans Pelicans in the Anthony Davis trade. While rookies typically do not benefit a contending team like the Lakers that much, the team has to be smart with who it selects this year.
With the future draft capital being limited and with limited projected cap space after the team (hopefully) signs Anthony Davis, drafting an impact rookie that could actually make a difference on the Lakers would be huge.
If the season were to end then the Lakers would have the 29th pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, so the options are not going to be stellar. However, the team absolutely could find a diamond in the rough and does not get the credit it often deserves for the solid late picks that have been drafted.
Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. were all late picks and all exceeded expectations.
The 2020 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25 but could get pushed back to August or September because of the current COVID-19 pandemic. It might be a bit early, but here are four prospects to study up on that would be interesting fits for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers way-too-early draft target: Jahmi’us Ramsey, SG, Texas Tech
The one thing that will make you successful no matter what if you play alongside LeBron James is three-point shooting. Because of that, we could assume that there is a pretty decent chance that the Lakers select someone who could play off-ball and be a shooter off the bench right away if need be.
Texas Tech’s Jahmi’us Ramsey could absolutely do that for the Lakers. The 6’4″ guard could play either point guard or shooting guard on the Lakers, as it would not really matter with LeBron taking the ball up the court.
Ramsey does not bring a lot to the table in terms of playmaking ability but he can shoot the basketball and that is all that counts. In his freshman year with Texas Tech, Ramsey averaged 15 points per game and shot 42.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Even if he is only a bench guy who comes in and attempts three thees a game, he could be a valuable depth piece for the frontcourt with some high potential to be a specialized scorer.