It’s been a wide-ranging belief that the Los Angeles Lakers would nab former Duke big man Jahlil Okafor if the team stood pat at No. 2 and the Minnesota Timberwolves, as expected, select Karl-Anthony Towns first overall.
Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding is now cautioning us all to take a step back from locking Okafor in at the second spot to the Lakers:
“Although the Lakers respect Jahlil Okafor’s size and skill (his defensive potential, not so much), momentum and consensus have been growing in the front office that Russell, not Okafor, is the special one.”
This change in the front office’s philosophy may have to do with the Golden State Warriors running roughshod through the NBA with a team that was for all intents and purposes reliant on a point guard.
Ding’s report pretty much mirrors that sentiment:
“It didn’t help that, according to team sources, Okafor’s second predraft workout with the Lakers was a distinct drop-off from the first—whereas Russell was channeling Stephen Curry’s velvety stroke in his follow-up workout with the team.”
It surely is an interesting dynamic to look at. Would the Lakers realistically pass up on adding a potential star at the center position in lieu of the 6-foot-5, 180-pound Russell? If so, it would represent a seismic shift in the philosophy of teams selecting near the top of the draft—an area that has largely seen rim protectors and inside threats go off the board early.
This scenario would also be pretty troublesome to Okafor, who would then likely fall past the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 3 overall and potentially closer to the middle of the top 10.
It’s definitely something to keep an eye on. It could also be a strong PR game from a Lakers team that might not have any idea what it’s doing Thursday night, especially considering a DeMarcus Cousins trade remains up in the air.
Photo: USA Today Sports