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NOTE: This is all assuming Karl Anthony-Towns will go #1 to Minnesota
The Lakers were the lone movers in the draft lottery, as they skipped ahead of the Sixers and Knicks, and will have the #2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
This draft is headlined by two very talented big men, Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor. Now assuming Towns goes to the Timberwolves with the top pick, the consensus thought is that Okafor will follow in the light of Wilt, Kareem, and Shaq (and not Dwight Howard) as the cornerstone Laker big men. But is that the best move for the Lakers?
While Okafor probably is the most offensively developed big man in recent NBA Draft history, his defense is, currently, not good. At all. And the Lakers with the year's previous pick took PF Julius Randle, another skilled offensive player with not a strong defensive game. A combo of Okafor and Randle would be a great inside offense, but defensively would be quite weak. And Okafor and Randle offensively could potentially be redundant if not coached properly.
So what is the alternative? D'Angelo Russell.
Like Okafor is the most talented scoring big man in this draft, Russell is the most talented scoring guard in this draft. He has very good handles and can create his own shot easily. Its very hard to replace Kobe Bryant, who is most likely playing his last season in the league, but if anyone can step up to the plate, its Russell. A Russell/Randle combo offers a great inside-out game, where that outside game isn't present if Okafor is the selection.
So what do you think the Lakers should do? It's very hard to pass on a big like Okafor, but I personally believe that Russell is the better pick for them.
The Lakers were the lone movers in the draft lottery, as they skipped ahead of the Sixers and Knicks, and will have the #2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
This draft is headlined by two very talented big men, Karl Anthony-Towns and Jahlil Okafor. Now assuming Towns goes to the Timberwolves with the top pick, the consensus thought is that Okafor will follow in the light of Wilt, Kareem, and Shaq (and not Dwight Howard) as the cornerstone Laker big men. But is that the best move for the Lakers?
While Okafor probably is the most offensively developed big man in recent NBA Draft history, his defense is, currently, not good. At all. And the Lakers with the year's previous pick took PF Julius Randle, another skilled offensive player with not a strong defensive game. A combo of Okafor and Randle would be a great inside offense, but defensively would be quite weak. And Okafor and Randle offensively could potentially be redundant if not coached properly.
So what is the alternative? D'Angelo Russell.
Like Okafor is the most talented scoring big man in this draft, Russell is the most talented scoring guard in this draft. He has very good handles and can create his own shot easily. Its very hard to replace Kobe Bryant, who is most likely playing his last season in the league, but if anyone can step up to the plate, its Russell. A Russell/Randle combo offers a great inside-out game, where that outside game isn't present if Okafor is the selection.
So what do you think the Lakers should do? It's very hard to pass on a big like Okafor, but I personally believe that Russell is the better pick for them.