Los Angeles Lakers: 2017 Draft grades

The Los Angeles Lakers walked away from the draft with four players: a transcendent talent, two versatile forwards, and a competitive guard.

As Los Angeles Lakers fans recover from the D’Angelo Russell trade, one thing is certain — the backcourt now belongs to the second overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, Lonzo Ball.

This was the third consecutive year that the Lakers drafted at the second highest slot: Russell in 2015, already gone in trade; Brandon Ingram in 2016, seemingly a cornerstone piece under Magic Johnson; and this year’s selection, Ball.

With the front office ready to once again make Hollywood a preferred basketball destination, clearing the decks for superstar talent in free agency, it will be their evaluation of teenage talent that will ultimately dictate the team’s long-term success.

Will Russell, only 21 years old, blossom in Brooklyn and make the Lakers regret giving up on him? Will Ingram become the superstar player his talent suggests? Is Lonzo Ball the transcendent talent they believe him to be, or did the Lakers miss a chance to draft an eventual superstar in Josh Jackson or Jayson Tatum?

High-end talent is one thing, but good organizations also know how to find key role players in the draft. If the Lakers plan on stretching their cap space to sign a few blockbuster free agents, their ability to complement those players with young, inexpensive talent is critical.

General manager Rob Pelinka drafted three players 30th overall and later on Thursday. He might not need to hit a home run on any of those players, but he needs to hit a few singles or doubles. One or two of those players need to turn into rotation players, alleviating the need to fill out the roster through more expensive means.

The Lakers were able to add an additional draft pick by trading the 28th pick for the 30th and 42nd pick.

Remember, Magic and Pelinka are new to this. It feels like they have been around forever, because they have — Magic a Laker icon and Pelinka as Kobe Bryant‘s agent. The draft is the first time we got to see both of them in talent evaluation roles. They made their mark by completing a few trades since taking over, but the draft is the first real indication of how they gauge talent and think about roster construction.

Pelinka made these comments to the media after the draft:

"“The way that coach Walton wants to coach is he wants that ball moving around. We didn’t look at ball-stoppers or guys that wanted to hold it for too long and make individual players. I think the great teams in today’s game, the ball’s moving around the perimeter and three-point shots are being made.”"

The Lakers’ draft selections seem to match to that vision. Let’s grade each of the picks.