Los Angeles Lakers: Three best late first-round picks in team history
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Lakers currently still have their first-round selection in the 2020 NBA Draft and while a trade is certainly possible leading up to the draft, chances are that the Lakers are going to hold onto their selection.
The team already sent three first-round picks alongside two pick swaps to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis. With most of the youth on the team being traded as well, the first-round pick becomes an important asset to add depth to the roster.
This is especially true considering the team’s recent track record with late selections in the draft. Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr and Josh Hart are just recent examples of great late picks by the front office.
It is not just recent history that has yielded great late picks, as the Lakers have several other examples of great selections in the late-first or second round.
In honor of the team’s first-round pick, which right now, would be the 31st pick in the draft, we opted to look back at the best late first-round picks in franchise history. We are considering anything from pick 20 to pick 30 to be in the late first round.
We also are only including the accomplishments that the players had with the Lakers. So while Vlade Divac and Elden Campbell carved out long careers (with Divac being a Hall of Famer), they were relegated to honorable mentions on this list.