Los Angeles Lakers: Redrafting the 2015 through 2018 NBA Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers have been able to hit on a significant amount of draft picks in recent years and it is largely because of their excellent scouting department. No team has been able to bring as many second-round picks to the NBA as the Lakers have, period. The craziest part of that, though, is that the Lakers are turning those forgotten second rounders into legitimate producers, not just bench warmers.

For example, Ivica Zubac, Jordan Clarkson, and Thomas Bryant were all second-round picks. They all play meaningful roles on their respective teams. Although not a second-rounder, the Lakers were able to grab forward Kyle Kuzma at such a late spot in the first round (27th overall) that it is viewed as a tremendous value.

Of course, despite the Lakers drafting legit talent every year, there are some guys that they, along with the rest of the NBA, missed on.

We opted to take a look at the past five drafts for the Los Angeles Lakers and use 20/20 hindsight vision to make the best moves possible for the team.

This is nowhere near a knock on the Lakers as I mentioned they did mostly everything correctly. Still, it is a fun exercise to reflect on what could have been.

The Lakers must have been doing something right to be able to accrue the necessary assets to acquire a big-name player like Anthony Davis. Just look at the New York Knicks for an example on how rebuilding doesn’t always work.