Los Angeles Lakers: 4 NBA Draft Questions

Who Goes No. 2 For The Los Angeles Lakers?

Obviously, the biggest question the Los Angeles Lakers will answer regards their selection near the top of the draft. With Karl-Anthony Towns reportedly getting assurance that he’s going No. 1 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves (Towns later denied this), Jahlil Okafor and D’Angelo Russell seem to be the prospects left under consideration for the second pick.

Jahlil Okafor is a nod to the old school. He’s got one of the most polished post games a draft prospect has offered in a very long time, and was the consensus number-one pick for many pundits the majority of the season. His stock has fallen a bit with small-ball coming en vogue coupled with questions about his defensive capabilities, but he’s still a surefire top-five selection.

If the Lakers go with Okafor, it will say a lot about the way they’ll choose to play — a post-focused offensive attack built around a combination of Okafor and Julius Randle.

D’Angelo Russell is not completely a new-school player, but passing on a talented big to take a 6’5” guard would certainly classify as new-school thinking. He can play both guard positions, already shoots well, and can be an excellent passer. His athleticism has been questioned, but it hasn’t affected his draft stock during the process.

After seeing Stephen Curry lead the best team in the league to a championship while winning regular-season MVP, Russell’s playmaker-scorer combo platter looks mighty appetizing to teams.

For what it’s worth, with Towns likely to go No. 1 overall, a report surfaced from ESPN.com’s Chad Ford indicating the Lakers are leaning heavily toward Okafor.

So do the Lakers make it a throwback Thursday and select Jahlil Okafor? Or do they get on board with the new-school and grab D’Angelo Russell?

Who goes No. 2 should be answered relatively quickly, but the next question could take a bit longer.

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