Lakers' Picks Look Solid for Future

                                      

The 2012 NBA draft was one of the deepest classes the league has seen since the 2003 draft class. Although this group of rookies doesn’t have the names like James, Anthony, Bosh, Wade, and others, the 2012 draft saw surefire lottery players in Perry Jones and Jared Sullinger drop. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they possessed only one pick, the 60^th and final pick of the draft. Buzz around them moving Gasol or Metta World Peace for picks never came to fruition and instead the Lakers bought the draft rights of the 55^th pick of the draft, Darius Johnson-Odom. With the final pick of the draft, the Lakers selected the big man out of Gonzaga, Robert Sacre. Both of these players are long shots to make the roster, but they both could be valuable to this team in future years.

Robert Sacre is big and was a solid defender in college. Uncertain about whether or not Jordan Hill would return and knowing that Troy Murphy wouldn’t be resigned, the Lakers decided to get some size with the final pick. Since then, Jordan Hill has resigned and they added Antawn Jamison, who is a hybrid 3/4, so it would be unlikely to see Sacre make the team as he would be the 6^th option behind Bynum, Gasol, Jamison, Hill, and even McRoberts for the 4 and 5 positions. If Bynum were to get hurt, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Sacre be added because of those previously mentioned players only Gasol can play center. Even though he won’t have a huge impact on this year’s roster, the Lakers made the right move by drafting Sacre because he should develop into a capable defensive 5.

Darius Johnson-Odom was a player that the Lakers had much higher than 55^th on their board and decided that he was worth trading for.  A combo guard in college although he will have to play more of the 1 position with the Lakers, Johnson-Odom had a great career at the University of Marquette. He showed that he can do it on both sides of the floor as a scorer and distributor while playing solid defense. According to the summer league coaches, Darius Johnson-Odom could become a helpful defender for a team that has had a miserable time guarding the likes of Russell Westbrook and other speedy athletic point guards. Although he could be an asset to a team that is trying to win now, I can’t see Johnson-Odom making an impact on this roster or even making it for that matter. The only player that he could make it before would be Christian Eyenga, but as one of the more effective players on the Lakers Summer League roster, it is doubtful that would happen. Although DJO won’t play a major role on this team, he is another potential player who could be a role player for this team in the future.

Although the Lakers’ draft picks for 2012 weren’t flashy, they filled two needs and it seems probable that both of these players will develop into solid players for the Lakers in the future.