NBA Draft 2017: 5 targets for the Los Angeles Lakers
By Luke Norris
The Los Angeles Lakers currently hold the second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Here are five targets they should consider.
With the second pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select…well that’s the big question right now, isn’t it?
With the NBA Draft looming, the Lakers have a big decision to make. Who do they take with the second pick? Do they even keep the pick? With Paul George rumors flying all over the place, could there possibly be a deal to put the All-Star forward in purple and gold? Right now, we just don’t know.
What we do know is that the Lakers have an extremely talented core of young players like Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, who are all going to do nothing but get better. It’s hard to say whether or not all of these players will remain in Los Angeles — any one of them could be used as trade bait to the Pacers — but for the sake of argument, we’re going to look at the roster as it is and look at five potential targets for the Lakers in the upcoming draft, which takes place June 22.
L.A. actually holds two first-round picks, the aforementioned second pick and the No. 28 pick, which they received from the Houston Rockets in the Lou Williams deal. It’s hard to say who’s going to be available when the 28th selection rolls around so we’ll be looking at the top targets for that second selection.
5. Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington
Markelle Fultz may be the best overall point guard in this draft and I think if he is available, the Lakers should jump all over it. The issue is that I just don’t think he will be and that’s why he’s number five on this list. The Celtics have the number one pick and I firmly believe that Fultz is going to be their choice.
Not only would Fultz be a good fit for Boston but he’s also developed a relationship with Isaiah Thomas. Seeing as how both went to the University of Washington, it makes sense but if for some odd reason the Celtics pass, the Lakers shouldn’t even think about this one. At 6-foot-4 and almost 200 pounds, Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds as a freshman.
That didn’t translate to victories as the Huskies won just nine games this past season, but the D.C. native can do it all. He can score, he can pass and he can shoot the basketball. He shot 41 percent from the 3-point line but his offense isn’t all he can offer. He’s shown that he can block shots, make plays on the defensive side of the ball and is a real two-way player. Again, I would have put him at number one on this list but I think he’s headed to Beantown.