2 talented wing prospects the Lakers could draft in the second round
There have been recent rumblings that the Los Angeles Lakers have interest in acquiring a second-round pick to have a chance to pick in tonight’s upcoming NBA Draft. This has been a strategy the Lakers have employed before when they did not have a draft pick.
It was clear last season that the Lakers lacked depth at the wing position, especially during stretches where they were missing LeBron James. The signings of Stanley Johnson and Wenyen Gabriel proved that the Lakers need to get younger at that position as well.
Those guys also showed that a player with a high motor will excel next to the Lakers’ star players because they were willing to defend, rebound, and do the dirty work.
That is why it would make a ton of sense for them to buy into the second round and take a similar prospect to get them on a cheap rookie deal for the next few seasons. There is so much salary tied up with three players on max contracts.
The Lakers need to get creative to find rotation players.
The Lakers swung and missed in free agency on older wing players like Trevor Ariza and that is part of the reason why that position is such a major draft need.
Austin Reaves was an undrafted rookie that was able to play meaningful minutes for the Lakers last season, so a precedent has been set that a rookie can come in and play with this roster. If the Lakers do expect the player that they draft to come in and contribute right away next season, then they should target players like Reaves that spent at least a couple of seasons in college.
By now most Lakers fans are familiar with this scouting department’s ability to find solid pieces later in the second round of the draft. As recently as 2019 they traded into the second round to take Talen Horton-Tucker who has shown flashes of brilliance and is practically their only tradable young asset.
They should target a 3 and D wing in this year’s draft because that role is one of the most valuable in today’s NBA. This glaring need was part of the reason why the Lakers ended up out of the postseason even though they had championship expectations entering the season.
Last season they had Carmelo Anthony step up in this role, and even if he is brought back next season, he will need a younger player to fill his shoes soon. These two players have the ability to do that and be productive on both sides of the ball next season.