Since our last recap of the 2024 NBA Draft, the Lakers have officially retained their first-round pick, as the Pelicans opted to take the team’s 2025 pick. While that had been a foregone conclusion based on reports, it means that all mock drafts now have the Lakers in the first round.
Now, that gives a look at even more potential options for the draft that’s a month away…even if they still don’t have a head coach as we speak.
Let’s take a look at some mock drafts floating around the internet.
ExpressDraft — Tristan Da Silva, wing, Colorado
A familiar name from the latest mock draft recap, Da Silva will also appear a couple of times in this recap. First, from Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress:
Da Silva, 23, is a plug-and-play option who brings coveted defensive versatility, feel for the game and perimeter shooting, making 40% of his 3-point attempts last season for Colorado. Expect this pick to also be in trade talks as the Lakers weigh the possibility of adding a third star to their roster, which would better fit their schedule if he were available to them.
Likewise, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic projects that the Lakers will also take Da Silva. At 23 years old, he is a very experienced prospect and while the ceiling may not be that high, the floor is, meaning he could play right away.
Here is a snippet from Vecenie:
Da Silva moves well without the ball but can also handle it himself and make good passing decisions. He processes the game quickly and plays at high speed, even if he doesn’t have great athletic tools. He is not an elite defender, but he is intelligent, adequate against other forwards and sharp on the ball. He checks a lot of boxes that make him profile well as a solid rotation player in today’s NBA.
The ringer — Jared McCain, guard, Duke
Another familiar name from past mock drafts, McCain’s skill set fits in nicely with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and makes him a common prospect for the Lakers to mock.
McCain’s shooting prowess and secondary playmaking ability would make him a great fit with Anthony Davis long-term, and he would also work well with LeBron James for the time being (assuming LeBron stays).
Considering the shortage of guards the Lakers already have under contract, it would be a bit surprising if they took another guard in the draft. However, if they did, McCain would make sense, as Gary Parrish explained:
The Lakers can never shoot too much on the court with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and McCain can really shoot. The 6-2 point guard averaged 14.3 points and made 41.4% of the 5.8 3-pointers he attempted per game in his only season at Duke and could be an important piece in Los Angeles even after the leading scorer of all time in the NBA has said it. a race.
The Lakers didn’t have much luck drafting an Indiana prospect last season, but this one would be in a much better position to help right away, particularly if Jaxson Hayes leaves this offseason.
Here’s what Jonathan Wasserman wrote about Ware:
Kel’el Ware measured up well at the NBA combine, even displaying a standing reach that was 2.5 inches longer than potential No. 1 overall pick Alex Sarr. He also dropped 12 pounds from Indiana’s roster.
For Ware to maximize his draft stock, he will have to convince teams to buy into his three-point range.
He still has a very high skill level for a center who is above average athletically and almost 7’0” tall. And the huge increase in scoring production helped validate the effectiveness of his tools, movements and shots.
Yahoo Sports — Carlton “Bub” Carrington, guard, Pittsburgh
Admittedly, as someone who has done little research, I’m all for drafting someone named “Bub.” I know everything I need to know about this prospect. I’m sold.
In case you weren’t, here’s Yahoo Sports’ commentary on the election:
Carrington is a player that many teams left at the combine because of how well he interviewed and tested during agility and shooting drills. The Lakers will most likely take Bronny James in the second round, but they will be looking for a true point guard who can provide a spark and possibly be used in a deal to help veterans.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
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