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Los Angeles Lakers: Why LA should trade down in the 2021 NBA Draft

By Jason Reed

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 10: General manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers (L) talks with head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers (R) during the 2019 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 10: General manager Rob Pelinka of the Los Angeles Lakers (L) talks with head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers (R) during the 2019 Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 10, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

1. The Los Angeles Lakers have a great track record of drafting and developing late talent

While they won the NBA Championship because of the star pairing of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have some of the best scouting and player development in the entire league. Because of the team’s track record with late first and early second-round picks, we could feel comfortable that the Lakers would make the right choices.

There are former Laker draft picks scattered throughout the league and that does not even include the lottery picks that the team obtained during the dark years. Right now on the Lakers, the team has a late first-round pick in Kyle Kuzma and a second-round pick in Talen Horton-Tucker, both of which are rotation players.

Throughout the rest of the league, we have Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr, Ivica Zubac, Josh Hart, Thomas Bryant, Moritz Wagner and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk, to name a few. Those are all legitimate rotation players. Finding a rotation player that late in the draft is a huge win!

Via Stathead, since 2014, the Lakers drafted six of the top 25 players in terms of win shares to be drafted with the 25th overall pick or later. There have been 252 of such picks since 2014. The Lakers are responsible for nearly 25% of the top 10 percentile. That is outstanding.

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to make the right decisions on these picks, they have absolutely earned that benefit of the doubt. But why take two lesser prospects instead of one more polished prospect? The second reason explains why.

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