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Los Angeles Lakers: Writing The Next Chapter

By Jackson Sanders

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The Los Angeles Lakers have finally closed the door on what was a miserable 2014-15 season. Injuries (they led the league in games lost to injury — again), disappointing veteran performances, and poor coaching all were themes in the latest dark chapter in what once was a riveting novel.

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The newest entry in the story of the Los Angeles Lakers will begin with this summer’s NBA Draft.

While the Lakers could potentially lose their own first round draft choice if it falls out of the top-five selections via the NBA’s draft lottery, they will retain the Houston Rockets’ first-round pick due to their status as a playoff team, and will have their own second-round pick as draft day ammunition.

The team lost out on the Los Angeles Clippers’ second-round pick due to their finish as the third seed in the Western Conference.

As it stands the Los Angeles Lakers are projected to hold the 4th, 28th, and 34th selections in the 2015 NBA Draft.

With the fourth pick (which could land in selections one through five overall for the team, otherwise it is property of the Philadelphia 76ers), the team could target a variety of players. Assuming they stay put at their current position, the likely players available include D’Angelo Russell (guard, Ohio State), Emmanuel Mudiay (guard, China), and Justise Winslow (forward, Duke).

All of these young studs would be a welcome addition to a Los Angeles Lakers roster that lacked premium talent last season.

In the best case scenario for the Lakers’ own first-round pick, they would land one of the first two selections and earn the right to pick either Jahlil Okafor (center, Duke) or Karl-Anthony Towns (center, Kentucky).

Aaron Gordon, a power forward out of Arizona, was the fourth overall pick last season by the Orlando Magic.

When it comes to the pick the Los Angeles Lakers will receive from the Houston Rockets, the draft pool becomes much murkier due to how far down the ladder the pick will land. Currently, DraftExpress.com has Jarell Martin (forward, LSU) going with the 28th overall pick.

Other prospects that they project to be available at this juncture of the draft include Delon Wright (guard, Utah), Cliff Alexander (forward, Kansas), and Justin Anderson (forward, Virginia).

C.J. Wilcox, a shooting guard out of Washington, was the 28th overall pick last season by the Los Angeles Clippers.

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    • Armed with an early second-round pick, it’s possible that the Los Angeles Lakers would grab another player that could make an impact for their club. Last season they traded for the rights to Jordan Clarkson (drafted 46th overall in 2014), and he was arguably the best player on the team once he was afforded meaningful playing time.

    Players that are projected to be around when the Los Angeles Lakers pick are Terry Rozier (guard, Louisville), Dakari Johnson (center, Kentucky), and Yogi Ferrell (guard, Indiana).

    Cleanthony Early, a small forward out of Wichita State, was the 34th overall pick last season by the New York Knicks.

    All of these selections will prove crucial to the Los Angeles Lakers rebuild. There will be a multitude of factors that ultimately dictate the team’s success: lottery luck, player availability, and trade possibilities are all going to play a role in determining how the 2015 NBA Draft shakes out for the Lakers. No matter what happens, however, they must come out with some young talent.

    If the Los Angeles Lakers can do that, then the next chapter in their story should be an exciting one.

    Next: Our Latest NBA Mock Draft

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