NBA mock draft: Ranking Lakers’ 3 most likely 2023 first-round picks
By Jason Reed
1. Kris Murray
Kris Murray ranks a bit lower than Sensabaugh and Wallace on most big boards but for what the Los Angeles Lakers need, he is a more realistic option. One thing that often gets overlooked in the draft process is the age of the players and which teams may prefer an older prospect.
A younger prospect, in theory, has a longer shelf life and a high ceiling as they are projectable. Someone with multiple years of college experience may not have that super high ceiling (or else they would have declared sooner) but they can make an NBA impact quicker more often than not.
Look at someone like Kyle Kuzma. Kuzma never had as high of a ceiling as Brandon Ingram or even Lonzo Ball but he was better in his rookie season than both of they were. That was because of his college experience in Utah.
Murray has three years of college experience under his belt and he is also the type of player that the Lakers should look to add. A long, lengthy forward, Murray has all the makings of being a fantastic three-and-D role player at the next level.
He struggled with his three-point shot this season but took a lot of them. Murray has an extremely smooth stroke and should blossom into a special three-point shooter at the NBA level, especially if he is just being asked to do it off-ball.
Next. 22 players the Lakers gave up on too early. dark
He may never blossom into a star but that is fine. Sometimes all you need is a really solid role player in the middle of the first round. Murray would be just that.