3 first-rounders who could fall to the Lakers at 35 in the NBA Draft

2. Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga

Andrew Nembhard is a borderline first-round talent depending on what big board you look at. He ranks all the way down at 38 on the consensus big board but there are several others (such as Kevin O’Conners’s big board for The Ringer) that rank him in the low 30s, making him a fringe first-round pick.

This is an instance where it would be a good fit for the Lakers as well. Ideally, the Lakers are looking for someone who can come in right away and make a difference. There might be players with more home run upside that are younger but the Lakers want the players who are older, more refined, and closer to being a finished product.

The ceiling is undoubtedly lower with these types of players but that is not what the Lakers should be looking for. Andrew Nembhard is the perfect example of this as he is a senior coming into the NBA Draft and while he is a solid player, his relatively low ceiling is what makes him a fringe first-round pick.

Nembhard averaged 11.8 points, 5.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in his senior year with Gonzaga. He shot 45.2% from the field, 38.3% from three and 87.3% from the free-throw line. He also played serviceable defense at the college level.

He is not the most explosive athlete but he is sound fundamentally as a defender and has good size and length for the point guard position. Nembhard can come in and right away be an average backup point guard for the Lakers and while he will likely never be a star, he can easily blossom into a serviceable starting point guard in the NBA.

Nembhard does jump off the screen but he is quietly solid in every aspect of the game.