The Los Angeles Lakers currently do not have a selection in Thursday’s 2022 NBA Draft as the team traded away both its first and second-round pick. However, the Lakers are seemingly interested in buying a pick in the second round so it may just be a matter of time.
It stung not having a first-round selection this year as the Lakers turned in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Los Angeles missed the play-in altogether and ended up giving the New Orleans Pelicans the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
But what if things were different? The Lakers originally had their pick in last year’s draft and what if for whatever reason they traded their 2021 pick to New Orleans instead of the 2022 pick. If that were to happen, who in this draft would LA be targeting with the eighth pick?
There are three prospects who would have been great for the Los Angeles Lakers with the eighth pick.
1. Keegan Murray
Keegan Murray is not projected to fall to the eighth overall pick as he is seemingly projected to go in the 5-6 range. However, it is not impossible for a prospect to fall a few spots in the draft and if Murray does fall to eight then the Lakers would be kicking themselves.
Outside of the obvious top four that have dominated this class, Murray would be the most exciting player to play on the Los Angeles Lakers next season and beyond. He is a stretch-four candidate with good size and slashing ability that would essentially be the Lakers’ new version of Kyle Kuzma (with a better shot and higher ceiling).
He is better defensively than Kuzma and as a lottery pick could end up being a better version of the player mold that Kuzma has become. One of the few drawbacks about Murray is his age relative to the rest of the class but that would be a plus for the Lakers, who would want a player that is ready to produce in year one.
2. Dyson Daniels
Dyson Daniels is not coming from college as he instead took the G League route and is the best prospect to take this route in the entire draft class this season. Most projections have Daniels going in the 7-10 range and there is a good chance that he will be on the board for the Pelicans to potentially pick with the eighth overall pick.
While Daniels does not have the age benefactor of being more polished as he comes into the league, playing in the G League may have prepared him more than collegiate basketball would have. Last year both Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga came from the G League and they both were instead contributors.
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Daniels would get blocked a bit by Russell Westbrook and there would be a concern about how that could hinder his development in the league. Because of his play style, Daniels may not have much of an impact in year one.
However, the long-term potential of Daniels is really exciting as he has all the makings of being a great two-way guard. He is a fantastic playmaker with the ball and he is arguably the best on-ball and perimeter defender in this entire class.
His three-point shot needs work but if the Lakers were able to get Alex Caruso to shoot over 40% from three then they could probably help Daniels as well. We will never know if that is the case and hopefully Daniels ends up on a team that can develop him and utilizes him properly because the ceiling is really exciting.
3. AJ Griffin
There are a few wings in the middle of the lottery that could be enticing to the Los Angeles Lakers if they had the pick. Of those wings, AJ Griffin is perhaps the most exciting and he is someone who should certainly be on the board with the eighth overall pick. Griffin ranks ninth on Rookie Scale’s NBA Draft Consensus Big Board.
Griffin is exciting for reasons that are completely different than Daniels. Griffin is not this incredible playmaker that also thrives on the defensive end, he is a wing with a lethal three-point shot that would instantly be an off-ball threat in the league.
Shooters are always needed next to LeBron James and Griffin would come in nicely as a role player that could benefit from the playmaking ability of both LeBron and Russell Westbrook. While he is destined to regress in the pros, his 48.3% three-point rate in college is very enticing.
Griffin is more than just an off-ball shooter, though, as he is someone who could create his own shot from anywhere on the floor. There is a lot of potential for him as an offensive piece and I don’t think it is absurd to say that his ceiling is that of a second scoring option on a contending team.
That being said, he is raw defensively and is going to have to improve on that side of the court. He has the size and frame to be good on the defensive end and he did not show a lack of effort, he just needs NBA coaching on that side of the ball.