Playoffs paint clear draft picture for Los Angeles Lakers
Watching the 2018 NBA Playoffs has led to one revelation about the Los Angeles Lakers’ plan with their first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers acquired rights to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (25th overall), I wrote that they should explore using that selection on a rim-running center or a playmaking guard to complement Lonzo Ball in the backcourt.
However, studying the teams that have been successful this postseason and the Lakers’ roster construction points to a different direction of drafting the best wing on the board.
Yes, the inevitable matchup between the Cavs and Golden State Warriors is the duel for the title, and yes, they have three of the five best players in the world depending on personal rankings. But the teams that gave them trouble were built around a plethora of wings that switch everything defensively.
Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets made his presence felt at times in the Warriors series, but are we sure they couldn’t find another rim-running center that has ample amounts of space in the paint with James Harden and Chris Paul feeding them lobs? Capela was attacked by Golden State defensively and wasn’t on the court at the end of games until the Chris Paul injury, as Houston opted for P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza and Eric Gordon on the wings.
The Boston Celtics deployed Al Horford most of the time with Aron Baynes playing 20.5 minutes per game, largely in part to his lack of his defensive versatility. Horford was used as the center and played next to Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris or Marcus Smart. These players offer strong defensive capabilities and played a massive role in pushing the Cavs to seven games.
Take this approach of what succeeds in the NBA Playoffs apply it to the Los Angeles Lakers and suddenly the players to use their first round pick on narrows down to more wings. A lot of this comes down to their intentions of re-signing Julius Randle, something I would advise the Lakers do, but this postseason is teaching us you can never have too many wings.
For starters, the Lakers have two young centers in Thomas Bryant and Ivica Zubac that have played well in their small amount of playing time. I am a big Bryant fan with his rim-running skills and ability to shoot from the 3-point line, along with his fiery competitive attitude. Zubac is growing into your classic bench big that you dump the ball into and have him carry an offense for short spurts.
If you bring back Randle, he should be the starting 5, making Bryant and Zubac suitable backups in a league that is seeing the impact of big men slowly dwindle. Randle will be your closing 5 as well. He can switch on the perimeter and make a large impact offensively with his own brand of bully ball. There’s no reason to waste draft capital on a fourth big man when you have your closing 5 and two young backups already on rookie contracts.
The Lakers do need a backup point guard, but they have a second round pick and can grab the kind of experienced guard that always seems to fall late in the draft. If they maintain their current roster, they have four ball-handlers that can create for themselves and others in Lonzo, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma, which makes the need for secondary ball-handlers a slight overreaction (despite me saying it’s a need as well).
This brings us full circle to the Lakers’ needs. They are slightly thin along the wing and have an opportunity to add the best wing on the board with the 25th pick. Adding a strong defensive wing to the mix would allow Brandon Ingram to preserve some energy on that end with his increased offensive responsibility, and theoretically, would space the floor on offense.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
3-and-D wings are vital to success in the NBA, and the Lakers should invest a first round pick on a wing rather than add a bench ball-handler or rim-running big. Despite the free agency period that may bring wings to the Los Angeles Lakers roster after the NBA Draft, grabbing one with their 25th pick is the smart choice for a team trending in the right direction.