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Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking the last 10 first-round picks

By Amaar Burton

MILWAUKEE, WI - FEBRUARY 22: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the hoop during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on February 22, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - FEBRUARY 22: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the hoop during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center on February 22, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers’ 10 most recent first-round draft picks have been a mixed bag, running the gamut from NBA All-Stars to NBA busts.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a glaring counter-argument for people who believe NBA roster-building through the draft is a superior method compared to free agency and trades.

One of the league’s most successful and profitable franchises (16 championships, second only to the Boston Celtics) acquired legends like Jerry West, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant through the draft. But the Lakers picked up Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anthony Davis via trade. They signed Jamaal Wilkes, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James as free agents.

Every NBA roster today is a combination of draft picks, trade pickups and free-agency additions. That is how talent is acquired. Some teams just do it better than others, and historically, the Lakers have been one of those better teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t always hit home runs in the draft. For every Elgin Baylor (No. 1 overall, 1958), a Hall of Famer immortalized by a statue at the Staples Center in L.A., there’s been a Wayne Yates (No. 5 overall, 1961), who averaged 1.9 points per game in his only NBA season.

Recent drafts have produced a mixed bag for the Lakers. A run of futile seasons leading up to and after Kobe Bryant‘s retirement produced four consecutive drafts with a pick in the top seven, and none of those players are with the Lakers today. Two of those picks became NBA All-Stars, but did so with other teams.

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For the purposes of ranking the Lakers’ last 10 first-round picks, I’m including players that L.A. acquired on draft day via trade.

For example, while the Brooklyn Nets officially drafted Kyle Kuzma with the No. 27 pick in 2017, the pick was made on behalf of the Lakers, who had traded for it that same night. At the same time, I’m not including someone like De’Andre Hunter, who the Lakers officially drafted No. 4 overall in 2019 on behalf of the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Davis trade. (Hunter was traded again on draft night to the Atlanta Hawks.)

Here are the Los Angeles Lakers’ last 10 first-round picks, ranked from worst to best.

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