Long-time fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have seen their team make several surprising selections in the second round of the NBA draft that have ended up paying off. How could anyone forget Talen Horton-Tucker, for example? But this year, things look to be a little bit different, as the Lakers' 55th overall pick in next month's draft appears to be losing some value.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony recently stated his opinion that this year will feature one of the weakest second rounds of the draft we have seen for some time. This is obviously a brutal blow for a Lakers front office hoping to strike gold on some late second-round talent, but it's also a problem created by a recent and significant shift in the college basketball landscape.
For those who are familiar with the lay of the land when it comes to NCAA basketball, you probably already know what I'm talking about. But for those who don't, one of the most major shifts in how collegiate basketball conducts business in the last few years has been the introduction of NIL (name, image, likeness).
Unlike in previous years, college athletes can financially benefit from their own name and likeness. This of course gives some of the most high level college basketball players a real incentive to return to school if they're not projected as a first-round selection. As we know, first round draft picks in the NBA get guaranteed money, while second rounders do not.
The Lakers' 55th pick has very little value this year
Obviously, if guys can reap the benefits of more guaranteed money in college as opposed to the decreased financial stability of playing on a non-guaranteed contract or playing in the G League, they're going to do that 100 times out of 100. As they should.
But of course, what this leads us to is a significantly more shallow draft class, especially as it pertains to the second round. A pick like the Lakers possess at 55th overall is usually a bit of a long shot when it comes to finding a rotation player, but this year, it's even more of a futile situation.
This is incredibly bad timing for a Lakers team that desperately needs to do as much with their limited assets as they can. Young and cheap contributors are an extremely valuable thing in this league, and the draft is always going to be one of your top resources toward gaining a player like that.
But now, LA is essentially left up the river without a paddle. That 55th overall selection has basically lost whatever small value it had, and unless Rob Pelinka is able to pull off a magic trick, Lakers fans shouldn't expect anything of value to come from this pick.