Draft Thread 2018: LA Has The #25 & #47 Overall Picks... And #39 Now

De'Anthony Melton, 6'4", G, USC, Sophomore. A very good defender and natural basketball player on that end. He's athletic with great length. His shot is still developing, but looked better at the Combine. He's a great rebounder and loves to get out and run. He profiles as a solid bench guard that can bring energy, defense, and athleticism off the bench, maybe a spot starter. Patrick Beverley is a solid comparison.



Justin Tillman, 6'7", F, VCU, Senior. An NBA sized forward who got his first chance to start consistently as a senior so you can call him a late bloomer. With VCU's toughest schedule in four years, he had a highly successful season averaging a hair under 19/10 with a block per game. He's a strong, smooth athlete that can raise up with absolute ease. He operates almost exclusively in the paint either on or off the ball attacking the paint. He tried to show a three pointer this year with limited success (33%).



Peyton Aldridge, 6'7", F, Davidson, Senior. A four year starter, Aldridge had a very nice career in Davidson and showed improvement every season. Not a wild athlete by any stretch, Aldridge still found ways to score going from 9 points as a freshman to 21 points as a senior. He's a decent rebounder, but makes his money probably as a shooter with a career 38.7% from outside. He's not a notable defender, but a surprisingly decent shot blocker (averaged just under a block a game for his career).

 

Kyle Washington, 6'9", Cincinnati, Senior. A transfer from North Carolina St., Washington is more of a small PF than a big SF, but fairly athletic and mobile. He has a jump hook and awkward floaters underneath that comes off at really strange angles, but work for him. He has a really awkward and slow jumper, but he's had some success with it (think Carlos Boozer). He's a good shot blocker averaging 2.4 blocks per 40 minutes. In fact his averages per 40 are very impressive at 19/9/2.4 blocks, but he only plays a little over 20 minutes per game so it's hard to know how sustainable those numbers are.



Yante Maten, 6'8", F, Georgia, Senior. Maten is a scoring forward that played well against somewhat softer competition averaging 19/9 with 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks. He has an awkward looking three, but he shot 40% from outside for his career. He's a good-not-great athlete and fits the profile of all the other wings we worked out yesterday: strong, rim protecting forwards with mobility. I think these are G-League tryouts except for Melton.

 

I disagree. The 2015 and 2013 drafts were weaker. The 2014 draft was probably a little deeper in terms of high level talent, but slimmer in role players.

This draft has a LOT of NBA players in it, just not a lot of stars. There's not many guards at all in this draft, but a ton of competent wings that should have decent careers off the bench.

 

Beverley is listed at about 6'1", Melton came in at just a shade over 6'3" in his shoes. Both have really long wingspans (he says 6'7") compared to Melton (6'8.5").

I think Melton is more talented, but he'll come into the league trying to fill that Beverley role: do the dirty work (sometimes literally) and make the right plays.

 

Melton's measurements are coming directly from the Combine.

 

ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmidt have released their "second round/undrafted sleepers". Their list, in my opinion, is a little obvious at times. They went with: Justin Jackson (Maryland), Javon Carter, Devon Hall, Hamidou Diallo, Anfernee Simons, Bruce Brown, Shake Milton, Kevin Hervey, Issuf Sanon, and Rodions Kurucs. I say some of these are obvious because at different points over the last couple years they've had Simons, Milton, Diallo, and Kurucs in the 1st round of their mocks. Bruce Brown and Carter have been projected high 2nd rounders although Brown has fallen on most mocks.

For me, sleepers in the 2nd that I really like:

- Rawle Alkins:
Pros- not great at anything, but has tools and skills that really fit with the Lakers. He likes to run, plays strong and aggressive, moves the ball forward quickly. He's not a high level athlete, but athletic enough to supplement his hard work.

Cons- does he have NBA range? we need shooting. He's not the type of defender you'd hope given his size and strength. He was a role player in college and projects as a role player in the NBA even if he develops to his ceiling.

- Tony Carr:
Pros- a very, very crafty scorer given his tools. He's a smart player and can read defenses well. He makes the right plays on the court, doesn't force anything, doesn't hurt the team. Shot really well as a sophomore from outside.

Cons- he was "the man" in college, but doesn't look to have the athleticism to be that guy in the pros. Can he adjust to be a role player in the pros? Does his average athleticism fit in the NBA? He does a lot of everything, but his best attribute is scoring with the ball in his hand. How does he adjust without the ball. Can he defend at the next level?

- Sviatoslav Mykhiliuk:
Pros- A great shooter, one of the best shooters in the draft. He's big for a wing and is a decent enough athlete. He's an underrated player in terms of IQ, passing, and rebounding. He does a good job of attacking close outs and should fit well as a corner shooter in our offense.

Cons- has short arms and a short wingspan of just under 6'5" despite his 6'6" height. Does his short arm length really hurt his ability to defend at the next level? He was never a great defender in college either as it is. He's not a creator offensively which really limits his ceiling. He describes himself as a guard, but doesn't look to have the athleticism to guard at that level.

- Ray Spalding:
Pros- Very, very defensively versatile. As a forward he has the ability to switch definitely 3-5 in the pros, but maybe even 2-5. He's a very solid athlete, a good rebounder, and a great fit as a hustle player off the bench.

Cons- Doesn't have any real evidence of shooting ability. Has a smallish frame for a PF, but the game of a PF/C. His ceiling is extremely limited due to his offensive limitations. He profiles as a Ronnie Turiaf type of spot minutes big man unless he can prove he's got more offensive game than he showed in college.

- Landry Shamet-
Pros: He's a lights out shooter and has great length for a guard. He has great versatility that fits well with our team as far as being able to switch from guard to guard spot. He profiles as a rock solid bench guard who can space the floor and run an offense. During the draft process he said he wanted to prove he's a defender, shows good recognition of his deficiencies and where he can improve.

Cons: Physically weak and not terribly athletic. At the Combine he really struggled against NBA level defense, unable to turn the corner or finish plays. If he can't defend or create he turns into just a shooter which limits his ceiling. I heard he didn't shoot very well at our workout as well and we know these workouts for the Lakers are important.

- Omari Spellman:
Pros- Very smart player and a hard worker. He's got a legitimate jump shot and plays with intensity. He's a good rebounder and showed very solid shot blocking instincts. His numbers aren't great, but he's a good passing big man. He fits like a glove into our offense with his ability to space the floor, move the ball, and defend the rim.

Cons- He came into the Combine as one of the heaviest players with the worst body fat percentage. He's still very young so he could grow out of that, but shows maybe a need to mature and discipline himself more. He came in undersized for a big at just over 6'9" (6'8" in his shoes). At that height, he'll need to be able to switch more effectively on to wings and guards which he hasn't shown. He's more of a project than you'd like. We already have a player like him in Thomas Bryant who the Lakers like a lot.

- Khyri Thomas:
Pros- Probably the best defender in the draft. He has active, accurate hands which you don't see much of. Not elite height for a 2/3, but a terrific wingspan. He showed a good ability to catch and shoot and move himself and the ball within an offense. Projects as a rock solid 3 and D player.

Cons- Doesn't really create for himself or others, a role player ceiling. He came in at just under 6'4" at the Combine, can he guard 3s in the NBA with that lack of height? He was a very good shooter in college, but didn't really show NBA range on those threes, how far back can he shoot? Teams were hoping he'd be Tony Allen with a jumper, but it looks like he might be Avery Bradley with less guard skills.

 

The Nets having Mosgov AND Deng would be fantastic.

 

A traded Deng. I honestly don’t want to draft anyone, I want Deng gone, or to use it for Kawhi or something. I said we had enough youth already last year and then we drafted 4 more rookies. We definitely have enough youth already now.

 

It’s not a waste, we’ve worked out tons of 2nd round talent, so that’s what the 47th pick is for. Taking a gamble on a rookie with a NON-guaranteed deal.