Getty Rob Pelinka & Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers aren’t going to have a lot of strong draft capital for the next few years. Part of that is because they’re a really good team so they won’t be picking in the lottery anytime soon. Another reason is that they traded a lot of their picks in the Anthony Davis trade.
However, the team has done a good job of finding young talent later in the draft and in free agency. This year, the Lakers hold the 28th pick in the first round of the draft and the focus should be on landing a backup point guard who can shoot. According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, Los Angeles has already shown interested in one who is expected to be selected in the area that the Lakers pick:
Stanford’s Tyrell Terry got people talking by measuring around 6’3″ and weighing in at 174 pounds, a notable difference from the 6’2″, 160 pounds Stanford lists him as. I’ve heard Terry linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers as teams showing interest.
Terry only spent one year at Standford but he shot over 40% from three. He’s not a strong distributor yet as he only averaged 3.2 assists per game during his lone year in college.
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Will Terry Be Available When the Lakers Pick?
The Lakers appear to at least have a surface level interest in Terry but there’s no guarantee he’ll be available when the team selects in the first round. In a recent mock draft by the USA Today, Terry went off the board at 21 to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, in a CBS Sports mock draft, the point guard doesn’t even get selected in the first round.
It’s hard to tell how teams feel about certain prospects at this juncture. There are a number of sharpshooting rookies coming into the NBA. If that’s what the Lakers want, they’ll be able to find somebody who fits the bill.
Other Potential Lakers Targets
If point guard is what the Lakers are looking for, they’ll have a number of intriguing guys to pick from. San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn has a similar build to Terry but is a more prolific scorer and better distributor. That said, Terry’s the better 3-point shooter. In the previously mentioned USA Today mock draft, the Lakers land Flynn with the 28th pick:
Flynn’s size makes him a bit of a risk, but the All-American guard benefited greatly from the virtual combine process in reminding scouts of his abilities that helped the Aztecs stage a historic 2019-20 campaign. Flynn’s underrated status could make him the Fred VanVleet of this draft class.
The Lakers could also target a shooting guard as Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is likely to test free agency. There’s no guarantee he’ll re-sign. Desmond Bane out of TCU is a name to keep an eye on. He recently revealed that he had a good meeting with the Lakers and is a really strong shooter. Bane could be available late in the first-round and Los Angeles might have to think about taking him if they feel they’re going to lose Caldwell-Pope.
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