D'Angelo Russell (Photo : Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers' interest in Oklahoma Sooners shooter Buddy Hield is growingly increasing day by day as the 2016 NBA Draft draws near. Some believe the franchise' fascination of getting the Hield comes from desire to recreate the success the Golden State Warriors is having with their splash brothers duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Lakers, who will again pick at no.2 in this year's draft, is facing a great opportunity of adding another young talent to their already dynamic roster and move another step towards becoming a contender in the Western Conference in the post-Kobe Bryant era.
The Lakers have been linked to LSU's Ben Simmons, the projected no.1 pick in the draft, and Duke's Brandon Ingram, a prospect who draws comparison to this year's free-agent alpha dog and Lakers' no.1 target Kevin Durant. However, Hield has put himself in contention for the no.2 overall pick because of his tremendous showing during workouts.
The 6-foot-5 guard out of Bahamas has already worked out in front of Lakers' top brass few weeks ago, but recent reports are telling that he will get a second look on June 18. Hield, the consensus College Player of the Year, took the headlines recently when he shot 85 out of 100 three-point attempts in a private workout with the Boston Celtics.
Recreating the Splash Brother:
The Lakers made its first major move towards rebuilding by firing Byron Scott and hiring Luke Walton as its next head coach. Walton, who won two titles with the purple-and-gold, turned some heads this year after leading the Warriors to the best start in league's history (24-0) as its interim coach while Steve Kerr is recovering from a back surgery.
There are rumblings that Walton is looking to create a version of the Warriors' potent offense with last year's no.2 pick D'Angelo Russell (35 percent from 3-point line last season) paired with another shooter. Hield apparently fits the bill, emerging as the hands down best shooter from this class.
With Jordan Clarkson's future a toss-up due to his free-agency, the Lakers could really pull the trigger on this plan. While Simmons, Ingram and even European prospect Dragan Bender are enticing talents who would greatly improve their frontcourt, the Lakers can afford to pass on this prospect as they have enough money to upgrade the forward and center spot through free-agency.
Besides, the Lakers are high on the development of power forward Julius Randle to become a version of Golden States' glue-guy Draymond Green.
On the other hand, Hield presents a chance for teams to add a player who can make an impact right away with his potent offensive game. The Lakers appear one of those teams heavily considering the Bahamian bomber.
