Some around the NBA are saying that the Lakers now covet D’Angelo Russell.
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No deal has been reached yet for the Lakers, so the team is coming into the draft on Thursday presuming that they will have the number two pick. Share your picks and predictions with us below.
Ultimately, Kupchak and the Lakers selected Russell and went with a shooter that stood out in the team’s individual workouts.
As it turned out, the angst was legitimate.
Yahoo Sports’ highly respect NBA analyst Adrian Wojnarowski says, “Philadelphia, my sources tell me, are very locked in on D’Angelo Russell as the third overall pick”.
Because I’ve seen all of it, I feel like I have a good idea of what he’s going to be in the NBA. Boston owns the 16th and 28th pick, and general manager Danny Ainge has made it clear that everyone on their roster is available for the right pick. I love him. He’s steady, rarely makes mistakes and is selfless.
“No, I’ll just be chilling at the table with my family”, he said. “He had to score for them, he was their offense”. The freshman sensation averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game with United Kingdom.
Amid a league centered on point guards accelerating the game’s pace and outside shooting, the Lakers chose to continue the trend.
Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell could be the first guard off the board, and Kristaps Porzingis and Emmanuel Mudiay are some of the lesser-known names that should be called quickly by Commissioner Adam Silver at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. One source, when asked about Rondo going to the Lakers, simply said, “Doubtful!” If he does leave the Blazers, most believe the All-Star big man will return to his home state of Texas. That’s probably a good thing – there will be choices. It has been rumored Los Angeles would have to part with the second overall pick as well as Julius Randle and possibly even Jordan Clarkson.
With the NBA salary cap expected to be $67.1 million next season, the Lakers will likely have a small more than $30 million in cap space, more than enough to go out and get a big man on a max free agency contract.
But offense isn’t the biggest issue for the Lakers – it’s defense.
But the rebuilding process has to begin with youth, and that’s where Russell comes in.
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Of course, this is the NBA Draft, so we know to expect a few surprises- which is what makes it so much fun to watch. “I’m really looking forward to him taking me under his wing if possible and feed me the most knowledge he can and use that as fire against my opponents”.
