NBA SIMS LEAGUE 
News - LA Lakers - JustinG
| Clubhouse · News · Roster · Patch · Statistics · Depth Chart · Units · Ratings · Schedule · Salaries · Transactions · NBA Stats · TbT |
Lakers Draft Recap
Lakers Draft Recap
The Lakers made 4 selections on draft night, after coming
into the evening with 6 draft picks at their disposal. Some expected the Lakers to make some moves,
as if the team had selected all 6 players, they would face being over the maximum
heading into free agency. Though the
Lakers don�t project to be a major FA player, they could likely use another
player or two to round out the edges of the team, barring some early internal
development from the team�s youngsters.
More will be made of the Lakers expected rotation heading into the
season in future articles, but for this piece, we will focus on the Laker�s making
their professional debuts in the 2023-24 season.
10th overall- Jarace Walker
The Lakers did not expect to have a shot at selecting Jarace
Walker in the 23 NSL draft. There were
rumors the Lakers were frantically shopping for a pick in the 7-10 range,
though nothing had come to fruition come draft night. Then, Walker fell. When GM Justin heard the name of Bilal
Coulibaly called to the Miami Heat at Pick 9, he immediately picked up the
phone to do what he could to bring the athletic combo forward to the City of Angels. Sensing some desperation, GM LJ made out with
all he could in sending out the pick that would see Jarace don a purple and gold
jersey. Pick�s 15, 32, and 2 future 2nds
later, the springy 6�6 combo-forward was a Laker, and the team hopes to see him
acclimate quickly to the NSL game, and hopefully log some meaningful minutes
for the team come day 1. �All options are
open. I mean, honestly, we liked Jarace�s
game a lot, but when you pair that with the need we had at the position, and
the scouting report we had on the guy, it all made sense to pony up a bit more
to come get him. He may be our starting small
or power forward come opening night. We
hope we develops into a complementary role player quickly, and from there
continues to grow his game to fit our other cornerstones nicely moving forward.� High
expectations for a kid coming from a mid-major school like Houston. Though it was a team many picked to win march
madness last year, and he is no stranger to the bright lights.
16th overall- Brandin Podziemski
One of the selections the Lakers owned heading into the
draft, the Lakers had always wanted to own the rights to Podziemski. �Yeah it was funny, a lot of our scouting
processes take place much earlier on than many of our counterparts, I
feel. Podziemski was a guy we were
tracking heading into the season for Santa Clara last year, as there were going
to be obvious minutes to fill on a rotation so many guys left. Initially we had hoped to target him in the
early 2nd, but as the draft process went on, it became clear we�d need
to use an early 20�s pick on him. After
the dust settled and he had a great pre-draft process to pair with a solid development
spot in GSW, it was clear we would need to use the #16 overall pick to get our
guy.� Some might look to it as a bit of
a reach, but GM Justin has always been steadfast and confident in his ability
to scout and pick talent at appropriate positions. Only time will tell if he got this one right.
23rd overall- Olivier-Maxence
Prosper
OMP
as they are calling him these days, was a bit of a surprise pick for the Lakers
at 23. At an area in the draft where
many presumed higher potential, young big men to be selected, the Lakers went with
one of the older players in the draft.
What gives? �Well we believe OMP
has a special skillset, than can translate to the NSL rather quickly vs the likes
of a Leonard, Nnaji, or Vuckevic. He is
quick in pivoting and transation, able to guard slower 2�s all the way down to
smaller Center�s, and consistently showed his high level motor all last season
and into the pre-draft process. Of
course Draymond�s development was massive when he got into the league, but we
are in the belief that OMP and Draymond are very similar profiles when coming
into the league. If OMP can develop
similarly, we�ll feel great about selecting him at 23.� This was the first of two elder players the
Lakers selected late in the draft. Youth
has always been a massive fetish within the NSL, though it�s interesting to see
GM Justin buck the league wide, and team centric trend he�s exhibited during
his 2+ years in charge of the franchise.
24th
overall- Jamie Jacquez
Another
elder-statesmen, as drafted players come, Jacquez came off another stellar
season at UCLA, and right into an NBA situation with the Miami heat that has
suited so many players before him well.
He is exactly the player Pat Riley and Eric Spoelstra could make into a
useful pawn in the chess-game that is the NBA.
Would it surprise me to see him earn meaningful minutes this year? Not at all, especially with potential
rotation minutes opening further in any Dame trade. �We didn�t have an especially high rating on
Jamie pre-draft, but loved his positioning with the Heat. I think Jaime is exactly the player who can
thrive there under the tutelage of a Jimmy Butler, a similarly non-supreme
athlete who�s offensive game has recently great expanded. If Jamie continues to use that body, and can continue
to play the game at his own pace, we are very excited at the prospect of having
him as a future 3.�
Expectations
are high, they always are for rookies and teams heading into this phase of the
season. They are especially high when
you bring in the best player the franchise has had on roster for the last 2+
years, and GM Justin�s entire tenure. �Yeah,
exciting times are coming, Cade, Donovan, Rudy, and the young guys can take us
very far, if we work hard, and continue to grow.�
More
on that next time Lakers fans, but until then, enjoy your Summer�s!
| Previous Article | Page 7/24 2023-07-17 13:33:58 | Next Article |
|---|