Mock draft roundup: Lakers looking for size, win-now prospects
The Lakers will not be giving their pick to the Pelicans and, based on mock drafts, will be targeting size and players that can help them win now.
Since our last 2024 NBA Draft roundup, the Lakers have officially retained their first round draft pick as the Pelicans opted to take the team’s 2025 pick instead. While that had been a foregone conclusion based on reporting, it does mean that all the mock drafts now have the Lakers in the first round.
Now, that gives a look at even more potential options for the draft that is within a month...even if they still don’t have a head coach as we speak.
Let’s have a look at some mock drafts around the internet.
DraftExpress — Tristan Da Silva, wing, Colorado
A familiar name from the last mock draft roundup, Da Silva is going to pop up a couple times this roundup as well. First, from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:
Da Silva, 23, is a plug-and-play option who brings coveted defensive versatility, feel for the game and perimeter shooting, making 40% of his 3-point attempts this past season for Colorado. Expect this pick to be in trade talks as well, as the Lakers weigh the possibility of adding a third star to their roster, which would better fit their timetable if that’s available to them.
The Athletic — Da Silva
Likewise, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic projects the Lakers to take Da Silva as well. At 23 years old, he’s a prospect with a lot of experience and while the ceiling might not be as high, the floor is, which means he could play right away.
Here’s a snippet from Vecenie:
Da Silva moves well without the ball but can also handle it himself and make good passing decisions. He processes the game quickly and plays at a high speed, even if he doesn’t have great athletic tools. He isn’t an elite defender, but he’s smart, adequate against other forwards and sharp off the ball. He ticks a lot of boxes that make him profile well as a solid rotation player in today’s NBA.
The Ringer — Jared McCain, guard, Duke
Another familiar name from the past mock draft, McCain’s skillset is one that fits nicely alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and makes him a common prospect mocked to the Lakers.
McCain’s shooting prowess and secondary playmaking would make him a great fit with Anthony Davis in the long term, and he’d also work nicely with LeBron James for the time being (assuming LeBron sticks around).
CBS Sports — McCain
Considering the dearth of guards the Lakers have already under contract, it’d be a bit surprising if they took another guard in the draft. If they did though, McCain would make sense, as Gary Parrish explained:
The Lakers can never have too much shooting on the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis — and McCain can really shoot it. The 6-2 point guard averaged 14.3 points while making 41.4% of the 5.8 3-pointers he attempted per game in his one season at Duke and could be an important piece in Los Angeles even after the NBA’s all-time leading scorer has called it a career.
Bleacher Report - Kel’el Ware, big, Indiana
The Lakers didn’t have great luck with drafting a prospect from Indiana last season, but this one would be in much more of a position to help right away, particularly if Jaxson Hayes leaves this offseason.
Here’s what Jonathan Wasserman wrote about Ware:
Kel’el Ware measured well at the NBA combine, even showing a standing reach that was 2.5 inches longer than that of potential No. 1 overall pick Alex Sarr. He was also down 12 pounds from Indiana’s listing.
For Ware to maximize his draft stock, he’ll have to convince teams to buy into his three-point range.
He still has a very high skill level for a center who’s above average athletically and nearly 7’0” in socks. And the big increase in scoring production helped validate the effectiveness of his tools, movement and shotmaking.
Yahoo Sports — Carlton “Bub” Carrington, guard, Pittsburgh
Admittedly, as someone who has done little research, I am all in on drafting someone named “Bub.” I know everything I need to know about this prospect. I’m sold.
In case you weren’t, here’s the commentary from Yahoo Sports on the pick:
Carrington is a player a lot of teams left the combine high on with how well he interviewed and tested during the agility and shooting drills. The Lakers will most likely take Bronny James in the second round but will be looking for a true point guard who can bring a spark and possibly be used in a deal for veteran help.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.