The first domino expected to fall in what should be a busy offseason for Rob Pelinka and the Los Angeles Lakers comes on June 23, when LA is slotted to select at No. 25 in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In Jeremy Woo’s most recent mock draft, he has the purple and gold set to select Jayden Quaintance out of Kentucky. Now, on paper, this is a really intriguing selection. Quaintance is the perfect center for Luka Doncic: rim runner, shot blocker, freaky athlete, and incredible size.
After the combine, things looked good for JQ, as he measured in at 6-foot-9 with an impressive 7-foot-5.25-inch wingspan. This reminded many of why he was a consensus top-five pick entering the season.
On top of that, he was among the youngest players in college, and while he played just four games in his sophomore year, he dominated at Arizona State as a 17-year-old. The hype train quickly came to a stop. After a week of re-entering potential lottery pick conversations, negative reports started to surface about his medical status, as Woo mentioned in his blurb about him.
Coming off an ACL tear last year and a knee surgery, the concerns about Quaintance are real, given how much he relies on his speed and athleticism to be unique in his position. For a Lakers team that struggled to find quality pieces in the draft over the last several years, drafting Quaintance is a massive no-no, as the risk is much higher than the reward.
Jayden Quaintance poses too big a risk for Lakers at No. 25
At his best, JQ projects to be what Robert Williams was for the Boston Celtics in his prime. Don’t get me wrong, the ‘Time Lord’ was incredible for the Celtics in 2021-22, making the All-Defensive Second Team and anchoring the second-best defense in the league.
But with him, too, we saw how much his game was affected by knee injuries. Players like him and JQ are elite and highly valued because they are athletic phenoms with incredible size who can cover so much ground defensively. Look at the position his injuries put him and the Celtics in.
With limited resources after likely re-signing both LeBron James and Austin Reaves in free agency, Pelinka needs to find someone who can be impactful from day one at No. 25. This team had a liability on the court last season in Deandre Ayton—the last thing they need in 2026-27 is a liability that can’t get on the court.
In theory, Doncic has continued to show he thrives next to the paint-beast center types like Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
Luka loves having someone he can run the floor with, throw lobs to, hit in the pick-and-roll, and hold down the paint when he gets beat on the perimeter. That said, for a player of his talent, size, and potential to be on the board at the end of the first when the Lakers are selecting should tell you all you need to know about his medicals.
If the Lakers feel like they can afford to light another first-round pick on fire come draft night, go for it. If they are serious about building around Luka, then they must avoid Quaintance.
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