The Los Angeles Lakers have the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. While trade is always likely with a team of the Lakers’ caliber, it appears more likely this offseason that the Lakers will indeed keep the pick.
Yes, the Lakers could still trade the pick if they so please. The NBA’s Stepien Rule is meant to keep teams from trading picks in consecutive years, but we see teams go around this every year. The Lakers would simply agree in principle to a trade before the draft, draft whoever the other team wants, then trade said player.
That is why we get so many pictures of players in the wrong hats on draft night.
Who the Lakers pick is going to depend on the 21 decisions made before them and while most late first-round picks don’t end up being much, the Lakers have an excellent track record of landing legitimate rotation players late in the draft. They have absolutely earned the benefit of the doubt in that regard.
There are some intriguing players that the team could draft at 22, so we decided to hop on Fanspo’s Mock Draft Simulator. Using a big board and team needs, the simulator makes selections for every other team in the draft, leaving us with a decision to make at 22.
With the 22nd overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select Jared Butler, PG, Butler
There is a decent chance that Jared Butler gets picked before the Los Angeles Lakers but if he is on the board at 22, and Chris Duarte has been taken, then he is the pick that the Lakers have to make.
The point guard position is already up in the air with Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso both being free agents. Schroder is not a good fit on this team anyway and Caruso, while great, is not a traditional point guard in the facilitating sense.
In Butler, the Lakers would be getting an answer to their point guard problem not only in the future, but in the present as well. Butler has three years of college experience under his belt, including winning the National Championship this past season with Baylor.
Typically, these players have lower ceilings than the top-end lottery picks but are better contributors right away and stick in the league as rotation players. Think Kyle Kuzma in his first two years vs. Brandon Ingram in his.
Butler is a bit undersized but he is tough and strong enough to guard NBA point guard. His ability to defend both guard spots likely won’t be there right away in the league but he can get away with guarding smaller two guards at the NBA level.
He certainly is a capable defender as well. He is solid on ball, hustles and creates turnovers. He averaged two steals per game last season to earn a Big-12 All-Defense nod.
Butler fits the gritty defensive identity of the Los Angeles Lakers while also adding a scoring presence. Butler shot over 40% from beyond the arc last season in 6.2 threes per game. With the way players are taught how to play coming through the ranks, he should be ready to be a three-point shooter at the next level.
Butler does have some things to learn in the playmaking and facilitating department, especially when it comes to operating an offense and calling plays against an NBA defense. He is going to struggle in being a traditional point guard in the playmaking sense right away but he has the tools to improve in that regard.
Plus, all the Lakers need is a secondary playmaker. LeBron James is the primary playmaker and even Talen Horton-Tucker can help the cause. If there is any team where Butler can truly maximize his abilities in this regard, and not be rushed, it is the Lakers.
Jared Butler would be a fantastic selection for the Los Angeles Lakers. Chris Duarte is still my preferred prospect, but Laker fans would not complain if this mock draft was reality.