Los Angeles Lakers: Final realistic predictions for the 2018 NBA Draft

Dreaming is always fun, but the 2018 NBA Draft is nearly upon us and the Los Angeles Lakers live in the real world. It’s time to take a more down-to-earth approach to predicting what the future holds for the Purple and Gold.

Believe it or not, the 2018 NBA Draft is just a day away. When Thursday evening rolls around, we’ll get our first glimpse at the newest Los Angeles Lakers. If this incoming class is anything like last year’s, there will be plenty for Lake Show fans to blow up social media about.

However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. As awesome as the the selections of Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart were in 2017, they can’t all be steals like that. We have to set realistic expectations for the Lakers’ future draft picks. Hoping for a repeat performance is simply setting yourself up for failure.

So instead of trying to map out a best-case scenario or making bold predictions like I’ve already done, I’m going to tone it down a notch today. I’ll be taking one final swing at what will happen for Lakers during the 2018 NBA Draft, but this time, with a more realistic approach.

I know it may not be as fun to imagine a top-10 talent falling all the way to No. 25, or a first round talent taking a tumble to the middle of the second round. However, as we can all agree, those things rarely happen. It makes more sense, with a day to go before the draft, to take off the rose-colored glasses.

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So join me in the real world, and let’s look at a few realistic predictions for the Lakers during the 2018 NBA Draft. Trust me when I say that taking this approach will lead to much less heartbreak than the alternative.