Future versus Present: How Should the Lakers play this NBA Draft?
In this year’s NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Philadelphia 76ers and the New York Knicks are three proud franchises, each with long histories of success. Despite the question marks that surround the rebuild projects of both Sixers and the Knicks on the east coast, I think that the most interesting team in the draft is the Lakers. As we see below, the joke is that the Lakers are blatantly pandering towards the whims and fancies of their resident all-timer Kobe Bryant.
The irony with that pandering allegation is that Kobe is clearly on his last couple of years (even that might be a little generous), and it is not in the Lakers’ interest to build around an aging superstar.
Therefore, disregarding the specific desires of the mamba, I think that there are three different options for the Lakers to take.
The Present: Vol. 1
Door number one is the most recent development of DeMarcus Cousins being dealt to the purple and gold. I think that the upside of this move is having the best, most skilled big man in the league in his prime. This move seems beneficial for the Lakers in that it develops a clear pecking order for both the Kobe era and the post-Kobe era. We have seen Boogie take part in an ensemble in his lone year at Kentucky and for USA Basketball, but we have also seen him be the number one option for the Kings.
Long term, I think that the Lakers always have a good chance to recruit free agents, and getting a cornerstone like Cousins is a more convincing pitch to those said free agents than selling an untested rookie. This reminds me of LeBron being more eager to play with Kevin Love than Andrew Wiggins.
The Present: Vol. 2
Door number two for the purple and gold is to select D’Angelo Russell from Ohio State. I think that Russell has both the biggest upside as a player and fits the Western Conference model of dominant point guards. As an isolated basketball move, I think that this might be the best option of the three because of the necessity of perimeter players as the NBA evolves. When players like Steph Curry, Russ Westbrook and Chris Paul are all in the Lakers’ Conference, I think that drafting a potential superstar point guard makes the most sense as a single move.
The Future: Potential Pinnacle
Door number three involves the move that I think could have the most significant impact for the future. Jahlil Okafor is viewed by many as the most gifted back-to-the-basket big man in over a decade.
If the Lakers draft Okafor, I think that developmentally as a franchise, he gives them the best foundation for the next 15+ years. If the Lakers’ determine that they want a big man to be the center of their universe in a shifting league, Okafor could be the counter-balance in the post to players like Russell, Curry, Westbrook, and Paul who operate on the perimeter.
Ultimately, even though I think that Los Angeles finds itself in a great place this year with a lot of options, I think that drafting the point guard gives them a better potential ceiling as an up and coming team that can build logically rather than frenetically settling for mismatched free agents.
