2017 was the last great year for the Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to the NBA Draft. That is easily one of the major reasons Rob Pelinka and company have struggled to feature a deep roster in the present day.
A solid stretch of drafting in the mid-2010s has fallen off hard in recent years. Particularly, those struggles stand out most with their first-round selections.
The Lakers have not been without draft wins altogether since 2017. However, their continued misses on the first-rounders who have arrived in Los Angeles is getting in the way of team-building, trades, and all the other aspects that could benefit tremendously from more competency in this department.
The Lakers have spent over half a decade whiffing on first-round pick
It is worth nothing that since 2017, the Lakers have not always had a selection in the first round due to the trades they made. That has been part of the problem at times as they got equally frustrating moments like having a perfect fit such as Jaden McDaniels going to another franchise.
Fear not Lakers fans, there is plenty of disappointment to be found with what the franchise has done with the first-round picks they had access to. Before that, let's revisit the last great year they had.
In 2017 the Lakers the second overall pick to work with. They chose Lonzo Ball as their guy.
The good news? They used Ball as a part of the trade for Anthony Davis. That helped put together a title team in Los Angeles. The bad news? Jayson Tatum was there just one pick later. All in all, that could have gone much worse for the Lakers as they rescued themselves from an underwhelming selection.
Kyle Kuzma made his way to Los Angeles via the 2017 NBA Draft too. That one can be chalked up as a win given the draft positioning of where Kuzma was taken (27th overall) and his role as a part of the title team for the Lakers in 2020.
Josh Hart was also a great find at the 30th pick. Hart was also a key part of the Davis trade. After a strong start with the Lakers, the beloved role player truly broke out as such after his time in Los Angeles.
This is where things start to really fall off, mainly because they were not working with much since then.
The Lakers picked Moritz Wagner in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft. That union never really saw much success in Los Angeles.
Their 2019 pick was used by the Atlanta Hawks. 2020 was the McDaniels miss mentioned above. 2021 was not their selection either. Same goes for 2022.
What did the Lakers do when they were finally on the clock in the first round for the 2023 NBA Draft? They selected Jalen Hood-Schifino. That was a massive missed opportunity considering Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Going back-to-back with the 17th overall pick did not serve the Lakers better in 2024. Dalton Knecht showed initial promise before completely becoming just another guy on the roster in Los Angeles. Once again, several players who were drafted after Knecht would have been better here.
With nothing to speak of in 2025, the Lakers draft history in recent years is as rough as it looks. Either there was no first-round pick or a bad one. Los Angeles has succeeded elsewhere by developing hidden gems like Austin Reaves, Alex Caruso, or Max Christie. However, two of those three guys are already elsewhere.
Great drafting goes a long way to building a championship team. It's been a while since the Lakers truly maximized that competitive advantage.