The 2021 NBA Draft will take place on July 29. With the draft coming up, The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for each NBA team. NBA squads will be analyzed, team needs will be addressed and potential targets will be discussed.
Today, the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2021 NBA Draft Profile will be presented.
Summary
After winning the 2020 NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers went down early in this year’s playoffs. The Lakers’ roster was plagued by injuries this season, which caused them to struggle. Los Angeles finished with a 42-30 record in the NBA’s regular season. This put them in the play-in games, which squared them off with the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers beat the Warriors and earned the seventh seed for the playoffs. In the playoffs, Los Angeles lost to the Phoenix Suns, who could be this year’s NBA champion, in only five games.
Injuries are certainly part of the reason the Lakers had an unsuccessful season. LeBron James dealt with a nagging ankle injury while Anthony Davis simply could not stay healthy. However, this wasn’t the only blame for their struggles. The makeup of Los Angeles’ roster this season just was not effective. The Lakers on paper looked to be better this season than last year, but this was not the case. First off, Montrezl Harrell probably did not play as much as he should at only 22.9 minutes per game. In addition, Dennis Schroder had an up and down year, and his dominant ball-handling could have taken away from James’ playmaking ability. On top of this, the Lakers did not have consistent three point shooting yet again. Clearly, the Lakers will have to rework their roster this offseason and that starts in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Picks
The Los Angeles Lakers have only one pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
First Round: Pick No. 22
Teams Needs
Offensive Playmaker-Â The Lakers offense struggled quite a bit this season. They ranked 24th in offensive efficiency opposed to ranking 6th in offensive efficiency last season. Los Angeles had a lack of offensive playmakers at times. Especially with James and Davis being in and out of the lineup, the Lakers struggled to score sometimes. Adding some instant offense off the bench could go a long way for the Lakers. More specifically, a scorer that can shoot well from deep and catch fire quick would be ideal.
Three-Point Shooting-Â NBA offenses have evolved dramatically as of recent. Teams now shoot less twos and instead put up threes in high volume. Three-point shooters surrounding James have always been effective. So far during James’ time in Los Angeles, the Lakers have not been a good three-point shooting team. This season, the Lakers were 25th in points scored from three-pointers. Adding a knockdown shooter to go along with James and Davis could be a tremendous help.
Projected Targets
Round 1, Pick 22: Cam Thomas, SG (LSU)
Cam Thomas is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of LSU. Put simply, Thomas is a scoring machine. In his only year at LSU, Thomas was one of the country’s leading-scorers averaging 23 points while shooting 40.6% and 32.5% from three. Thomas was one of the country’s top shot creators last season. He has a knack for creating space off dribble and can knock down contested shots. While Thomas’ three-point percentage wasn’t the best, he still has a good jump shot and can develop into a more consistent shooter. Thomas is not just a shooter either, he is a good ball handler with the ability to get to the rim and finish.
— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 9, 2021
The clear knock on Thomas is his defense and shot selection at times. If Thomas is utilized off the bench, his lack of defense is worth overlooking due to his scoring ability. Further, Thomas at his full potential will be a nightmare for defenses, his offensive ability just outweighs his lack of defense. Thomas would check the Lakers’ need for a playmaker and three-point shooter. The LSU product could possibly bring offensive help off Los Angeles’ bench immediately. As he develops, Thomas could eventually reach the level of someone like Lou Williams or Jamal Crawford. He has the potential to even reach the scoring ability of a player like Bradley Beal. Overall, Thomas is a multifaceted scorer that could aid the Lakers’ offense.
All stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference and Team Rankings.Â
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