8. Thomas Bryant
Thomas Bryant was always fun to watch because of his explosiveness and reliable outside shooting, but he was not granted the necessary playing time to develop.
As a teammate on the Washington Wizards with other former Lakers in Moritz Wagner and Isaac Bonga, Bryant averaged 23.7 minutes per game with 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 40.7 percent shooting from deep. He is the prototypical stretch-five in the modern NBA and has the ability to carve out an excellent NBA career if he continues to trend in the right direction.
Bryant is another prime example of an excellent Lakers scouting department. Most teams do not hit on late picks at the rate that the Los Angeles Lakers have in recent years with current Laker Kyle Kuzma and the next three players on this list coming to mind.
7. Josh Hart
Josh Hart was always one of my personal favorites amongst the Lakers’ young guns and he still is. He has a smaller role offensively with the Pelicans who are better than the rebuilding Lakers were, but he is still doing his part on both ends of the floor. He has always been a tough defender, a strong rebounder for a guard, and a solid three-level scorer.
Averaging over 27 minutes a night, the Villanova product is putting up 10.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. That’s a tremendous effort on the boards for a 6’5 wing, but it is not at all surprising to see it seeing how strong Hart is.
Coming into the league as a four-year product of a big name school will always make you more NBA-ready than most one-and-dones, but the physicality that Hart possesses regardless of age will keep him as a force in the league off the bench.
The Pelicans secured Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, and Hart from the Lakers for Anthony Davis, quite a coup.