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3 Sweet 16 prospects the Lakers could draft in the second round

By Jason Reed

DURHAM, NC - MARCH 05: Brady Manek #45 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - MARCH 05: Brady Manek #45 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5, 2022 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

2. Brady Manek, PF, UNC

Someone who is going to be taken higher in the 2022 NBA Draft but could better fit what the Los Angeles Lakers want out of a backup power forward is UNC’s Brady Manek. Manek ranks 46th on the same big board, so he is still a second-round prospect that would require the Lakers to move into the top half of the second round.

Manek checks several boxes for the Lakers. First, like Williams, he is an experienced college player that is going to come into the league almost as a finished product. Manek has five seasons in college under his belt (the extra season being because of extended eligibility from the pandemic), spending four years with Oklahoma and his fifth with UNC.

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Manek is going to be 24 years old when he comes into the league. Sure, the ceiling is not as high, but when it comes to finding a rotation player for next season he might just be the guy.

Manek is a six-nine stretch four that shot 39.5% from beyond the arc this season. He averaged 29.6 minutes per game with 15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Manek’s draft stock may climb too high for the Lakers as he has been really good in the tournament thus far for UNC. Against Marquette and Baylor, Manek has scored 28 and 26 points while hitting nine of 18 threes.

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