Los Angeles Lakers: Second round gems to target in 2018 NBA Draft

Jevon Carter, PG — West Virginia

Older prospects (relatively) have worked for the Lakers in the past. Both Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart came into the NBA as upperclassmen, and look how they panned out as rookies. I think the 22-year-old Jevon Carter could be another home run for the Los Angeles scouting staff.

A senior point guard for West Virginia, Carter spent this past season putting his experience and polish on display. Although not an explosive offensive player, he’s more than capable of creating points as well as setting his teammates up with sharp passes (17.3 points and 6.6 assists per game in 2017-18). It’s his defense, though, that has earned Carter a long look by pro scouts.

This past season, Carter led the NCAA in steals (112), allowing him to add a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award to his trophy case. Especially with the Lakers focusing on improving their defense and in need of a backup point guard, the former Mountaineer seems like a perfect fit.

Some folks have speculated that Carter could hear his name called at the end of the first round. The general consensus, though, seems to be that he’ll land somewhere in the latter half of the second round — NBADraft.net has him mocked at No. 50.

If that’s the case, the Lakers could swoop in at No. 47 and secure their NBA-ready backup point guard.