With the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves casting a cloud over this season, it's time for Los Angeles Lakers fans to look forward to something more positive: the 2026 NBA Draft. This year's class is incredibly talented, both at the top and throughout the first and second rounds.
For a Lakers team that has a ton of roster flaws, the depth of this year's class gives them a chance to draft someone who can impact winning from day one. In Christopher Kline's most recent NBA Mock Draft for Fansided, the Lakers select Kentucky center Jayden Quaintance with the 26th overall pick.
Quaintance is an 18-year-old sophomore who spent his freshman season at Arizona State and entered this season as a consensus lottery pick across draft boards. He possesses elite rim protection, and while his offense leaves a lot to be desired, he could develop into a nice lob threat next to Doncic.
This season, Quaintance averaged 5.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks in 16.8 minutes per game. But here's where the issue comes in: those stats come from just a four-game sample, as Quaintance spent the struggling to fully rehab a torn ACL from his freshman year and was shut down by January.
Drafting an injury-riddled prospect like this is not a risk a Lakers team with hopes of contending for years with Luka can take.
Jayden Quaintance is a dangerous gamble the Lakers can’t take
With the Lakers not owning their first-round picks outright in both 2027 and 2029, hitting on their pick is that much more crucial. I'm not saying Quaintance can't become something special at the NBA level. At one point, he was the top center on my board, but the injuries can't be ignored.Â
It’s also difficult to justify given the other players still available in Kline's mock when he opted for LA to pick Quaintance.
Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr., Connecticut's Tarris Reed Jr., St. John's Zuby Ejiofor, and North Carolina's Henri Veesaar were all still on the board. Of these four other options, the only one that really grades out lower than Quaintance is Reed Jr., and even that may not be true.
Johnson Jr. was the most impactful player on both ends for a Michigan team that just won the National Championship a week ago. He has elite defensive versatility, allowing him to guard the one through five truly, and is a great play finisher with floor-spacing upside. That skill set, paired with Rob Pelinka's overwhelming Michigan bias, makes it hard to imagine him passing on Johnson.
A similar case can be made for both Veesaar and Ejiofor. Veesaar is a seven-foot giant with elite 3-point shooting and incredible size that makes him a nightmare at the rim for opposing drivers. Ejiofor was a defensive anchor for one of college basketball's most dominant defenses, and he also can put the ball on the deck and create for others.
The idea of swinging for upside and drafting Quaintance is understandable, but at the same time, whenever Doncic steps on the court, LA has more than enough upside. The Lakers need people who can bring value from day one and stay healthy.
Both of those things happen to be Quaintance's biggest question marks as a prospect.