Noah Clowney, whom the Brooklyn Nets picked just four selections after the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been breaking out this year. He looks like a legitimately high-level NBA role player, and he could have been perfect for this Lakers team.
At his size (6-foot-10) and with his three-point shooting abilities, he would have been a great rotation player for the Lakers. Instead, LA chose to select Jalen Hood Schifino with the No. 17 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, who ended up being a bust (even though they were able to throw him into the Luka Doncic trade).
Hood-Schifino was a whiff, and Clowney would have been perfect for the Lakers.
Noah Clowney would have been great pick for the Lakers
Though the Nets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, Clowney has been a pleasant surprise. In his third NBA campaign, he’s taken his game to another level.
The 21-year-old has appeared in 57 games for the Nets this year, starting 51 of them and playing 28.3 minutes per contest, which is the third-most of anyone on the Nets’ roster.
In those games, Clowney has averaged 12.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks while shooting 40.0% from the field and 33.5% from deep on 6.3 three-point attempts per contest.
While that efficiency doesn’t sound ideal, Clowney has been playing much better lately, making a jump, especially when it comes to his three-point shooting.
In his last 12 games (all starts, playing 27.8 minutes per contest), Clowney is averaging 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while shooting an impressive 46.8% from the floor and 44.1% from deep on 5.7 three-point attempts.
Those are the types of stats and efficiency that would be huge for the Lakers right now, especially playing alongside the playmaking and gravity of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James.
If the Lakers had selected Clowney in the 2023 NBA Draft, their roster would have one extra depth piece right now, which would be super valuable.
Instead, they took Hood-Schifino, who never ended up playing well in LA. After the Doncic trade, he was waived by the Utah Jazz, played a bit for the Philadelphia 76ers, and never made it on an NBA roster for the 2025-26 season.
It’s clear that Clowney would have been the much better pick. He could have provided the Lakers with some much-needed 3-and-D depth at the forward position.