3. Izaiah Brockington, PG, Iowa State
The Los Angeles Lakers need depth in the backcourt as we could see a big remodeling there this offseason. First of all, the no. 1 thing on the team’s agenda is to get rid of Russell Westbrook at all costs. There is a reality in which the Lakers cannot trade him and have to bite the bullet and buy him out.
Second of all, the Lakers could be losing some of their best guard talent this offseason in Malik Monk. Monk has played great this season and there is a chance that he has priced himself out of LA.
Avery Bradley has been awful and has played himself out of the rotation to end the season. Having a combo guard like Bradley who can, in theory, guard both guard positions while being a good off-ball “point guard” alongside LeBron James is a good thing to have.
Izaiah Brockington could provide that dynamic for the Lakers. A six-four combo guard, Brockington will be 23 when the 2022-23 season starts. His success comes from his athleticism and playing in the right defensive system he could really tap into the potential of being a great hustle defender in the league.
Offensively, Brockington isn’t someone who is going to initiate a lot of offense (which is why you put him next to LeBron) but he can work wonders as an off-ball three-point shooter as well as a slasher to the rim. He is a decent finisher at the rim, although he needs to improve his free-throw shooting.
Brockington ranks 49th on the same big board and he has been decent thus far in the tournament, scoring 19 and 10 points against LSU and Wisconsin, respectively.