Here, though comes a dilemma. The Lakers front office have no questions about the number one pick of the draft - whether its the Lakers or some other team lucky enough to pick first, we are confident Zion Williamson's name will be called.
Here is an overview of potential top 4 in this draft according to our projections.
Zion really has no weaknesses, especially at PF/C where he is projected to play. The only question here remains whether he can reach his potentials as a 6''6 big man in CSL. There are no other weak points to think of when it comes to Zion - perhaps something may come up in interviews, but pure skill wise he is a stud now and projects to be a mega stud in the future.
If the Lakers are not picking first though, I am going to sweat like mother***ker worrying about who is worthy of second selection.
At first sight, it looks like Luka Doncic is the man. He is one of the best scorers and probably the best playmaker available with a potential to be truly elite in both of these categories. Plus, unlike Zion, Luka is perfectly built for a wingman in CSL. However, outside of having some interesting potential in Steals, Luka really offers very little in terms of defense and rebounding. Sure they are above average for his position, but nowhere near Zion's level. Is this the drop off to expect between first and second pick?
Enter Ja Morant, an absolute scorer extraordinaire at the guard position. He reminds us a lot of Allen Iverson with his ability to take over a game and drop 50 on you at lightning speed. Ja will be double teamed by the time he reaches half-court and he has excellent ability to find the open man. He is not super interested on defense but he not a scrub in there either. Perhaps an offensive juggernaut like Morant is worth the second?
Almost a mirror image to Ja is Rui Hachimura who has limited offense but absolute elite defense. At this stage he can play both wing positions and even come in at PF/C due to excellent rebounding and shot-blocking ability. He may be the best overall defensive player ever in CSL history, combining elite skills commonly associated with smaller players (steals) as well as big men (rebounding, blocks). Perhaps such elite performer is too good to pass up and Rui is projected to perform well next to future star Marvin Bagley.
''We need to do more scouting'' - GM Andrei said in a recent interview.
