No. 5: Marcus Sasser, 25th pick
If Jalen Hood-Schifino was drafted for his ability to make shots, Marcus Sasser was drafted for his ability to stop players from making shots. One of the best defenders in the country during his final season with the Houston Cougars, Sasser was selected 25th by the Detroit Pistons in last year's draft.
The Pistons did not have a lot of bright spots this past season, but Marcus Sasser was one of them. In a season when they outright waived 2020 lottery pick Killian Hayes and continued to be disappointed in the growth of 2022 Top-5 pick Jaden Ivey, Sasser was a rotation piece from the jump.
On offense, Sasser came in understanding his role and was a high-volume catch-and-shoot player, launching 3-pointers and hitting them at a solid 37.5 percent clip. The Pistons are bereft of shooters across the roster so Sasser's impact was invaluable. It was hard to excel defensively on a team as bad as Detroit, but Sasser competed and looks like a long-term asset on that end of the court.
The Lakers were scrambling to find usable role players by the end of the season and could have used Sasser's skillset, even in the playoffs. They were trotting out Spencer Dinwiddie in the playoffs and could have used a backup guard who could have been an asset defensively while also knocking down shots. Moving forward that kind of player would be an excellent fit alongside Austin Reaves.
Yet for as solid of a role player as Sasser projects to be, he doesn't even scratch the surface of the prospects available when the Lakers picked.