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Los Angeles Lakers: 2017 Draft grades

By Jeffrey Bellone

Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Lonzo Ball (UCLA) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Lonzo Ball (UCLA) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number two overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Los Angeles Lakers
Jan 15, 2017; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers center Thomas Bryant (31) shoots the ball while Rutgers Scarlet Knights center C.J. Gettys (34) defends in the first half of the game at Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 42 — Thomas Bryant

The Lakers used their final draft pick (42nd overall) to select Thomas Bryant (I’m thinking they should put a T. in front of Bryant on his jersey) from Indiana.

T. Bryant gives the Lakers incredible length and reach. The 6’11” big man has a wingspan of 7’6″ and a standing reach of nearly 9.5 feet. Only Jonathan Jeanne has greater length and reach from this year’s draft pool.

How Bryant capitalizes on that length is the question mark. In college, his post defense was in the pedestrian 31st percentile (see tweet below). Lacking foot speed, he also isn’t much of a rim protector. He will need to develop that part of his game, using his size to make up for his lack of quickness.

On offense, Bryant brings another hook shot to the Lakers frontcourt (shout out to Ivica Zubac). In the post is where he is able to use his massive size to overpower opponents in single coverage, situations where he scored nearly a point per possession. He uses his long arms as a finisher around the rim, with 38 percent of his possessions from put-backs, cuts, rolls to the rim and rim runs, per Synergy.

Of course, shooting is an important weapon in his arsenal, and a key skill the Lakers sought in drafting him. Bryant made great strides over his freshman season in developing his jump shot. Granted, on limited possessions, but he ranked in the 99th percentile for spot-up efficiency. He also stepped back to take some additional threes, averaging nearly two per game last season and making 38.3 percent.

Next: 2017 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

Bryant has some work to do to ensure he can stay on the floor against teams with faster frontcourts, but he has the natural size, finishing ability, and shooting touch to become a modern NBA big man.

Draft Grade: B-

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