2023 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Pistons face difficult choice at No. 2
G, Pepperdine. Los Angeles Lakers. Maxwell Lewis. 14. player. 20.
The Lakers will probably spend next season making another last-ditch effort to build a winner around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Their moves at the trade deadline actually strengthened their chances of doing so.
LA could go any number of directions here, but the NBA is a wing’s league right now. Maxwell Lewis hasn’t gotten the national shine of other collegiate stars playing out of Pepperdine, but he’s the ideal Swiss Army Knife for a team built around two superstars like Los Angeles.
Lewis has struggled occasionally under the burden of a featured role, but his numbers across the board remain impressive. He shoots a pretty 3-ball and he’s excellent at attacking off the catch, obliterating college defenders with his shifty, stop-start handles.
It’s hard to imagine a better situation for Lewis than LA. He would get plenty of clean looks from deep and the opportunity to attack rotating defenses while LeBron and AD draw attention to the paint. His passing chops and 6-foot-10 wingspan should only cement the Lakers’ confidence.