LOS ANGELES–Jahlil Okafor, former Duke center and National Champion, seems to be the simple choice with the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Odds are very high that the Minnesota Timberwolves are taking Karl-Anthony Towns with the first pick in the draft, which leaves the 6-foot-11 Okafor as the next best big-man for the taking.
The 19-year-old is a legitimate scoring post, the kind of monster down low that the Lakers are very familiar with having on past championship teams. He fits the mold of the prototype big man that this franchise is known to appreciate.
Whenever the franchise has been a champion in years past, a dominant big man usually has been in the middle. From George Mikan and Wilt Chamberlain to Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol, the Lakers have suited up some of the game’s greatest centers and power forwards.
But, despite successful trends in the Lakers past, rumor has it that their second pick in the draft—the highest pick for the franchise in 33 years—is nothing close to simple.
The Lakers are well aware of the NBA’s evolution into a guard-dominated league. And after watching the Golden State Warriors win this year’s NBA Championship with their best big man, Andrew Bogut, on the bench for the final three wins of the series to capture the crown, the Lakers have some decisions to make.
Has Dub Nation created a new trend with winning games playing small ball?
If so, Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell is an intriguing prospect for the purple and gold.
Russell is a gifted ball-handling guard who could be the next transcendent talent in the lineage of Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook.
And what about free agents?
The type of franchise players that don’t have the youth, but have plenty of game experience and are proven winners, which is exactly what Jim Buss and the Lakers need to jump start the franchise turnaround.
Rumors have it that the Lakers are doing everything they can to acquire Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins. According to reports, they are willing to include the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s draft as well as Julius Randle to secure Cousins, who averaged 24 points, 12 boards, and 4 assists, along with 47 double-doubles and two triple-doubles.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Cousins led the NBA in points in the paint per game (12.5) over Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis. The Lakers were 25th in the entire league in points in the paint. Cousins is also 1 of 15 players in NBA history to average 24 ad 12 for the season before the age of 25; 12 of 15 are in the Hall of Fame.
Other options talked about for the Lakers to sign in free agency this off-season are Kevin Love, who recently opted out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Heat veteran Dwayne Wade, and Chicago’s Jimmy Butler.
Despite the rumors, the Lakers must have a plan for the future and will look to execute it beginning tonight, June 25, with the draft. Stay tuned.
