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Los Angeles Lakers: 2 players that should have been picked over Kyle Kuzma

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: Monte Morris #11 of the Denver Nuggets attempts a shot in front of Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a preseason game at Staples Center on October 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 02: Monte Morris #11 of the Denver Nuggets attempts a shot in front of Kyle Kuzma #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers during a preseason game at Staples Center on October 2, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

The Los Angeles Lakers *should* have selected: Monte Morris

The other player that the Los Angeles Lakers could have drafted over Kyle Kuzma is also a guard but has a different skillset than Derrick White. Monte Morris is not this stellar defensive piece that would help the Lakers in that regard, he is a sharpshooting point guard who would have been absolutely perfect on this version of the Lakers.

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But how would he have fit with the 2017 Lakers and could the team have made that a fit? Absolutely. Just like with White, Morris would essentially be getting the minutes that Josh Hart got for the team that year.

Morris could come in as the backup point guard behind Lonzo Ball and because of Ball’s size, the team easily could have run both Morris and Ball in the backcourt at the same time. Morris would be more off-ball with Lonzo in the game while Lonzo would defend the other team’s two-guard.

Morris is money from downtown. He has not gotten a massive workload thus far in Denver but he is a career 39.8 percent three-point shooter and shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc in his second season, which is when he had the most attempts per game.

Although Kuzma kills Morris in terms of averages, Morris has been the better NBA player thus far. Not only is he naturally a much better fit on the 2019-2020 Lakers, but he is statistically better as well.

Next. Way-too-early draft prospects to consider. dark

Morris ranks ahead of both Kuzma and White in win shares per 48 minutes. His .138 mark is the seventh-highest from the 2017 draft class, and if we include only players that have played 100 games, he is fifth.

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