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Los Angeles Lakers: Upgrading At Small Forward

By Jackson Sanders

March 16, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Wesley Johnson (11) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 16, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Wesley Johnson (11) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Lakers 108-105. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 19, 2015; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) in a timeout during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 19, 2015; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self talks with guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) in a timeout during the second half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Trade Up For Kelly Oubre

Coming into the college basketball season, Oubre was one of the top prospects in the draft. And it’s easy to see why.

If you like upside and untapped potential, Kelly Oubre may just be your ideal draft prospect.

Offensively, he has tools that could eventually make him a top-flight wing in the NBA. He shot 35.8 percent from three on 2.6 attempts per game at Kansas, and has the length (7’2” wingspan) to finish inside.

There’s hope he can become a premier defender in the league as well, but most scouting reports list his lack of focus as something limiting his growth in this area for now. NBADraft.net also suggests that Oubre will need to bulk up a bit once he gets into the league.

The talent with Oubre is apparent, but he’ll need to be in an environment where he’s allowed to develop over the first few years of his NBA career.

He had an excellent coach at Kansas in Bill Self, and began to flourish as the season went on after a somewhat rocky start. That bodes well for him reaching his potential, specifically if he can land on a team that will dedicate time to Oubre’s development.

As “sexy” as upside and potential are, Oubre has fallen down the draft boards on many prominent draft websites since the end of the college basketball season.

As of right now Oubre is ranked at 17th overall on DraftExpress, 18th overall on ESPN, 18th on NBADraft.net. He’s still very much in the mix for a lottery selection, however, and it only takes one team to fall in love with his vast potential. The Lakers have virtually no shot at such a talent if they stand pat at the 27th pick.

Let’s envision a scenario where Oubre falls out of the lottery, and more in the 15th-20th overall range. The Lakers could strongly consider packaging the 27th and 34th overall picks to move up and grab the potential star. Including veterans — say Jordan Hill or Nick Young –would almost be required at this point, since they would be working with playoff-hopeful teams at that stage of the draft.

The Lakers would only have a shot at Oubre if the deal makes sense for their trade partner, and the Lakers have only a handful of assets to offer in an attempt to move up in the draft. But, if Oubre begins to slip down the draft board, the Lakers should make every attempt to move up and get the potential star.

Next: A Playoff Breakout

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