Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson (Photo : Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports/ REUTERS)
The Los Angeles Lakers are still unsure whether they will retain their top-5 pick in next month's Draft Lottery. Heck, they are still not fixed on what type of player they would want to get from this year's pool of collegiate standouts. One thing is for sure, they will acquire the best talent available on the board.
In the latest 2015 NBA Mock Draft by Bleacher Report writer Tyler Conway, the Lakers have been projected to secure the no.4 overall pick which with they would use to select Congolese combo guard Emmanuel Mudiay.
Conway believed the Lakers would still want a talented young guard like Mudiay despite an incredible rookie year from Jordan Clarkson. The 6-foot-5 Mudiay had been projected the no.1 overall pick a year ago, but his decision to skip college and play subpar pro basketball performance in China caused him to slide down a few spot on the draft board. However, his ceiling remains pretty high to the extent that he draws comparison from Washington All-Star guard John Wall.
"That said, the Lakers have to select Mudiay if he's there. The kid might've been the No. 1 overall pick had he not skipped out on the college experience to play in China. 247Sports' composite rankings separated Mudiay and Okafor by literally the thinnest possible margin a year ago. Factor in the Lakers' never-ending search for a competent point guard, and you have a perfect long-term match."
Although scouts view Mudiay as a pretty raw talent with his outside shooting remains a suspect, it would be intriguing to see how a ball-dominant combo guard like him plays alongside Kobe Bryant in perhaps his final year of competitive basketball.
Moreover, the prospect of having a backcourt duo of Mudiay and Clarkson, who is versatile to play either guard position, would give the Lakers the most athletic guard tandem in the NBA two or three years from now.
