With the 2018 NBA Draft taking place on Thursday, June 21, the Lakers currently own the 25th and 47th picks. Gary Parrish of CBS Sports has them selecting De’Anthony Melton out of USC with their first pick in his latest mock draft.
The Lakers have one of the most storied histories in the entire NBA. They have drafted Hall of Famers such as Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy. All of those players were drafted decades ago though. More recently, who has been their best (and worst) draft picks since 1990?
Here are a few things to know about these lists.
The player must have been drafted by the team and not acquired in a draft-day trade. Kobe Bryant would obviously be the team’s best recent selection, except he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, and then was sent to the Lakers in exchange for Vlade Divac. To be on the best selections list, they must have played three full seasons with the team.
To be on the worst selections list, the player must have actually suited up for the team. Also, only first-round picks by the team were considered for the worst list. Since the Lakers have had many seasons without one, there are a couple players on the worst list who really weren’t all that bad.
To see the Knicks’ best and worst draft picks since 1990, click here.
To see the Bulls’ best and worst draft picks since 1990, click here.
To see the Heats' best and worst draft picks in franchise history, click here.
Best selections
- 5. Andrew Bynum (2005 - 10th pick)
Bynum looked to be heading towards becoming one of the best centers in the league until a knee injury derailed him. He was an All-Star in the 2011-12 season, his last with the Lakers when he averaged 18.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
- 4. Elden Campbell (1990 - 27th pick)
A late first-round selection, Campbell played 618 career games with the Lakers. During that time, he posted averages of 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks.
- 3. Derek Fisher (1996 - 24th pick)
Fisher won five rings with the Lakers and is the all-time leader in career playoff games with 259.
He is fifth in team history with 915 regular season games played for them.
- 2. Eddie Jones (1994 - 10th pick)
Jones spent about 4.5 seasons with Los Angeles and was named an All-Star twice over that time. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in his last full season with the team.
- 1. Nick Van Exel (1993 - 37th pick)
A second-round pick, Van Exel was a productive player in his five seasons with the Lakers. He made the All-Star Game in his final season with Los Angeles and averaged 14.9 points and 7.3 assists in his tenure with the team.
Other notables: Anthony Peeler (1992 - 15th pick) and Julius Randle (2014 - seventh pick).
Worst selections
- 5. Brian Cook (2003 - 24th pick)
Cook played four full seasons with the Lakers before getting traded to the Orlando Magic early in the 2007-08 season.
In 259 games with Los Angeles, he averaged 6.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.
- 4. George Lynch (1993 - 12th pick)
Lynch had a fairly-lengthy 12-year NBA career with the first three as a member of the Lakers. His role faded each subsequent season with the team, and he averaged just 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in his last season with Los Angeles.
- 3. Mark Madsen (2000 - 29th pick)
While Madsen won two titles in his three seasons with Los Angeles, he wasn’t a very productive player. In 183 games with the team, he averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds.
- 2. Sam Jacobson (1998 - 26th pick)
Jacobson played just two games in his rookie year and appeared in three for the Lakers the following season until the team decided to waive him.
His Lakers career ended with 18 points and four rebounds.
- 1. Javaris Crittenton (2007 - 19th pick)
Crittenton is currently in prison for voluntary manslaughter with a weapon. Previous to this, he was best known for bringing a gun in the locker room during an incident with Gilbert Arenas. He played just 22 games with the Lakers before he was traded.
Other notable: Sasha Vujacic (2004 - 27th pick).