5. Desmond Bane, SG
Desmond Bane of TCU is as good as it gets amongst the four-year talents, in my opinion. Bane shot a ridiculous 44.2 percent from three this past season on 6.5 attempts per game. He averaged 16.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with those boards totals being a terrific mark for a 6’6″ shooting guard.
He could be a fantastic 3-and-D asset in his NBA prime and given that he has four years of college hoops under his belt, he could be not far off from that time.
Bane is someone that could be reached for on draft day, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him slip to the back end of the first round. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t possess the talent to be worthy of a selection above that — it means that the Lakers need to capitalize on the mistakes of other NBA front offices.
According to Synergy, Desmond Bane ranked in the 96th percentile in the long-range department and 91st percentile in catch and shoot situations. Projecting for the long-term, I do not believe Bane will just be some simple one-dimensional shooter. He has shown the ability to be an offensive initiator, defensive stalwart, and a playmaker. He’s a very well-rounded prospect.
Here is a dashboard outlining Bane’s attributes on the court:
One of my favorite prospects, @DBane0625 of @TCUBasketball is an NBA-ready draft pick who shot lights out from 3 last season (44.2%). A physical nightmare as a 2 guard, Bane is also an underrated passer off the dribble. He’ll be a day 1 contributor.
— Dom Samangy (@DSamangy) November 1, 2020
(Video breakdown below ‼️⬇️) pic.twitter.com/uSHehP6AE8
The Lakers will have a plethora of solid choices available at the 28th overall selection should they decided not to trade it. Given that the Lakers do not have many first-round picks in upcoming seasons, they might need to milk this one for a cheap ready-made rotation contributor.