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

SI Mock Draft:

25. LAKERS*: BRUNO FERNANDO, C, MARYLAND | FR.
(*via Cavaliers)
Height: 6'10" | Weight: 245 | Age: 19 | Last: 27
Stats: 10.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG

Though it’s uncertain at the moment if Fernando will enter his name in the draft, scouts are enamored with his athletic tools and he’ll find himself getting late first-round consideration if he does. He’s unusually mobile and strong, competes hard and has a higher skill level than he displayed this season in a supporting role at Maryland. Physical two-way rim-runners are in demand, and Fernando would give the Lakers some controllable depth on the inside as a potential backup.

47. Lakers (via Nuggets): Shake Milton, G, SMU | Jr.

 

Hopefully Deng is out the door soon along with this pick and other assets.

 

Love all the options on this page for what you want to see and the graphics. Really well done indeed

 

They will pick him up after he goes undrafted.

 

Yeah it'll take a lot more than that to make me stop caring about the Lakers.

Not to mention I trust the scouting department. I don't see anything in this kid that looks like an NBA player, but if they do, they're better at this than me.

 

Probably. It's also possible they were looking at another kid that was playing in the same game. We might never know.

The point is, if they were comfortable drafting him (0.00001% chance), then I would actually be intrigued. Who saw Kuzma being this good? Hart? Clarkson, Nance, even Zubac? If they liked the kid that much, that means they know something I don't.

For what it's worth he looks marginally better now than when I first saw him. He might be a G-Leaguer now instead of an overseas only player, but even that is not certain.

 

it's not a requirement for me, but I am more interested in taking someone who is ready to play from the start like a Hart or Kuzma.

Not saying they need to be as good but just come with an understanding of how to play the game and more importantly an understanding of their own game.

For example, Josh knows what he's good at already. Yes, he needs to improve but he already comes with a valuable set of skills he used from Day #1

 

So with the revelation that Rob Pelinka himself is going overseas to scout, it seems we're at least seriously considering keeping our picks this season.

Most mocks have us taking a backup PG or a wing option. Some of the names I'm seeing are:

De'Anthony Melton- Soph. USC 6'3" PG- Very strong defender, physical player, strong. He was suspended for suspected involvement in the college recruiting scandal.
Khyri Thomas- Jr. Creighton 6'3" SG- Pegged as one of the best defensive players in the draft. Looks like a promising 3&D player.
Jontay Porter- Fresh. Mizzou 6'11" PF- Great shooting big man, smart, good passer. Looks like a young Channing Frye.

I'm very surprised to see Gary Trent Jr. has plummeted down many mock drafts and I'm not sure why. I compared Trent to Klay Thompson at one point and their rookie college numbers are still very, very similar. Trent isn't a big leaper or terrific athlete, but he likes to take big shots and he's a tremendous outside shooter. He's probably not going to be Klay Thompson, but he's going to be a solid professional. I could see Trent looking very good depending on his landing spot. I'd absolutely take him at the end of the 1st (I see many drafts taking him in the 2nd). He's more athletic than he lets on and I'd like to see him be more competitive on defense, but this is a guy I expect to move up boards. If he's there at 25 and we keep the pick, I'll be disappointed if we pass.


I'm surprised to see Chandler Hutchinson people are split on. Sort of similar to Trent in that I see a bunch of latent talent, but he's still very low on some boards. He's a 4 year college player at a smallish school, but has good athleticism and has shown an ability to cut to the rim. He has some flaws, but he looks like a 1st to me in this draft.


Devonte' Graham, Keita Baites-Diop, Jalen Brunson are all guys that people are also split on. Someone who did himself enormous favors in the tournament and caught my eye: Donte Divincenzo. Put on an absolute show in the biggest game in college basketball. He was the 6th man on that Villanova team, but look at how quickly he gets that shot off. Look at that athleticism. He hasn't declared yet, but if he does and I'm a team in the late 1st I'm definitely doing more homework on him.