Lakers draft last 2 years have been amazing.

[ClipperRevival]

Randle will be a very good one, Clarkson has the talent and we also acquired Black via trade and he was in the 2014 draft and he will be a heck of a backup big. That's 3 keepers in 2014.

This year, we get Russell, Nance, Brown and Upshaw in summer league. We all know about Russell. Here's a quick breakdown of the other 3 and why I am high on them.

Nance - 6'9" with 7-2" wing span. Athletic and high energy guy. His max reach of 12' + is the 2nd highest in the combines since 2009, so this guy can get up. He isn't the greatest laterally nor is he very fluid in his movements but he's a long strider and once he gets going, he can explode. He has very good D potential. Energy guys are always a plus because you can't teach effort. This guy has it. He should be a good defender, good in transition and a good rebounder. He'll do the little things. He should be in the regular rotation by the end of the season.

Brown - Prototypical 3 size. 6'7", 6"11" wingspan and 210 lbs. 3 and D type guy. Not elite athleticism but good enough to play solid D. Can shoot the ball. As long as he can play solid D and shoot the 3, he should last in this league.

Upshaw - 7'0", 7'5" wingspan and 9'5" standing reach. This guy is long. He obviously lacks elite fluidity and coordination but he can get up a bit and somewhat quickly off the floor. He definitely has rim protection potential at the NBA level. In a perfect world, you want him to be more fluid, coordinated and explosive off the ground but you can't teach his size. I think he will definitely make the team and possibly get regular minutes by the end of the season.

I am most high on Nance. Really love his hustle, max vertical and ability to cover a lot of ground. Not laterally but in a straight line. He'll be all over the court and with his length and vertical, he can be impactful on both ends. I think he will be a crowd favorite.

[raprap]

if they pan out well, they literally overtake philly in rebuilding. Mitch :applause:

[outbreak]

They've been good but lakers fans seem to ignore the down sides every nba scout talked about before the draft

[BigNBAfan]

Fastest rebuild ever... teams like phoenix, NO, DET been trying for a decade it seems.

[RightTwoCensor]

If they rebuilt so quickly then what's the point of shopping All-Star free agents?

Just put the ball in Jordan Clarkson's hands and 60 wins will just pop out his ass.

[Lebron23]

If they rebuilt so quickly then what's the point of shopping All-Star free agents?

Just put the ball in Jordan Clarkson's hands and 60 wins will just pop out his ass.


Lol

[L8kersfan222]

Cafdafdhso Asfhdsofh FSdhifoshiof Fhisfds Fhodhfs.

Can I get this post in Draft Lottery?

[Blue&Orange]

The very little i watched Randle looked very impressive.

[senelcoolidge]

The lakers are developmental team with some more years of losing ahead of them, but if these guys pan out they can be decent. Randle is undersized and a defensive liability. Probably a back up on a championship caliber team. Clarkson would also be a back up on a championship caliber team. Russell and the other rookies we'll just have to wait and see. Don't get caught up in all the hype. I think at least one of the rookies will be a quality NBA player.

[Velocirap31]

Delusional as usual.

[T_L_P]

Yeah, Lakers did just have a couple of very good drafts, tbh.

[chips93]

upshaw is a great get as an undrafted player

[Carter_17]

Randle is overated and a waste for a pick that high. We would be better with Lavinge, Vonleh or even Payton.
Clarkson is a steal for #46 but still overhpyed.
Russel is cool though and I like that they didn't go with Okafor.

[NugzFan]

I love how fans try to make scrubs sound Better than they are.

[Lebron23]

I love how fans try to make scrubs sound Better than they are.


You Nuggets fans are humble. Mudiay is going to be a star in this league. He's gonna be the Western Conference version of John Wall.

[Springsteen]

They have 2 good young players, but we still have no idea how Randle's game will translate to the NBA.

Definitely better future than Philly though. Four bigs? What are these assets stashing towards again?

[Locked_Up_Tonight]

They have 2 good young players, but we still have no idea how Randle's game will translate to the NBA.

Definitely better future than Philly though. Four bigs? What are these assets stashing towards again?

Exactly. Randle is still an unknown. He had a really good post up/under the im game in college, but the NBA is a little different. We shall see if he can still get his shot off well enough. And he had very limited range in college. A PF needs to hit an outside jumper (at least mid range j) consistently.

But I do think they are in good shape. A young PF. A young SG. A solid young prospect at PG.

Philly on the other hand is a train wreck.

[NugzFan]

You Nuggets fans are humble. Mudiay is going to be a star in this league. He's gonna be the Western Conference version of John Wall.


Hope he's as good as upshaw, brown or nance.

Lakers just drafting all stars everywhere.

[FireDavidKahn]

Randle will be a very good one, Clarkson has the talent and we also acquired Black via trade and he was in the 2014 draft and he will be a heck of a backup big. That's 3 keepers in 2014.

This year, we get Russell, Nance, Brown and Upshaw in summer league. We all know about Russell. Here's a quick breakdown of the other 3 and why I am high on them.

Nance - 6'9" with 7-2" wing span. Athletic and high energy guy. His max reach of 12' + is the 2nd highest in the combines since 2009, so this guy can get up. He isn't the greatest laterally nor is he very fluid in his movements but he's a long strider and once he gets going, he can explode. He has very good D potential. Energy guys are always a plus because you can't teach effort. This guy has it. He should be a good defender, good in transition and a good rebounder. He'll do the little things. He should be in the regular rotation by the end of the season.

Brown - Prototypical 3 size. 6'7", 6"11" wingspan and 210 lbs. 3 and D type guy. Not elite athleticism but good enough to play solid D. Can shoot the ball. As long as he can play solid D and shoot the 3, he should last in this league.

Upshaw - 7'0", 7'5" wingspan and 9'5" standing reach. This guy is long. He obviously lacks elite fluidity and coordination but he can get up a bit and somewhat quickly off the floor. He definitely has rim protection potential at the NBA level. In a perfect world, you want him to be more fluid, coordinated and explosive off the ground but you can't teach his size. I think he will definitely make the team and possibly get regular minutes by the end of the season.

I am most high on Nance. Really love his hustle, max vertical and ability to cover a lot of ground. Not laterally but in a straight line. He'll be all over the court and with his length and vertical, he can be impactful on both ends. I think he will be a crowd favorite.
Nice! Everyone that has been brought into the Lakers in the past 2 years has been an A+. Simply amazing:applause:

[HurricaneKid]

The base of talent is so bad on the Lakers that undrafted FAs flock there because they know thats their best chance to make a team.

That doesn't make them talented. It means they are UNtalented. You aren't going to be competing for titles with these guys. You need elite guys. So we'll see how FA goes...

Upshaw is interesting. If he was a good dude he would have been a 1st rounder. But he has a bad history.

[NugzFan]

The base of talent is so bad on the Lakers that undrafted FAs flock there because they know thats their best chance to make a team.

That doesn't make them talented. It means they are UNtalented.

/thread

[Levity]

The base of talent is so bad on the Lakers that undrafted FAs flock there because they know thats their best chance to make a team.

That doesn't make them talented. It means they are UNtalented.

so youre saying robert upshaw is untalented?

[Cali Syndicate]

I love how fans try to make scrubs sound Better than they are.

Lol, as a warriors fan I was one of the people who had high praise for players like brandan Wright (pf) and Anthony Randolph (Sf) complemented with biedrins (c) i thought our this front court was going beast.

When the franchise is in the hole, fans typically try to stay optimistic.

[Rooster]

The base of talent is so bad on the Lakers that undrafted FAs flock there because they know thats their best chance to make a team.

That doesn't make them talented. It means they are UNtalented. You aren't going to be competing for titles with these guys. You need elite guys. So we'll see how FA goes...

Upshaw is interesting. If he was a good dude he would have been a 1st rounder. But he has a bad history.

At this point there's only 8 players with guaranteed contracts and if the Lakers manage to sign a marquee player, it will make a total of 9 players. So there's a lot of room on our rosters. If we find someone better than Kelly and Black, we can waive them anytime.

We don't have a definite elite talent to build around with so the OP is optimistic that our draft picks can be those cornerstones on rebuilding. Before Shaq came over, Lakers managed to this with low first picks like Divac and Campbell and 2nd round pick Van Exel. We manage to turn it around when we got Eddie Jones in the lottery and signed Ceballos.

[ClipperRevival]

The lakers are developmental team with some more years of losing ahead of them, but if these guys pan out they can be decent. Randle is undersized and a defensive liability. Probably a back up on a championship caliber team. Clarkson would also be a back up on a championship caliber team. Russell and the other rookies we'll just have to wait and see. Don't get caught up in all the hype. I think at least one of the rookies will be a quality NBA player.

You didn't watch them play in-depth like I have so I think I know them better than you do.

I am not hyping these guys up just for the sake of hyping them up. I just try to tell it like it is. If I didn't see anything in them, I would say so. I watched both Randle and Clarkson in summer league last year and they instantly passed my eye test. It was obvious to see that Randle is a rare blend of size, power and speed. You will be shocked at how fast he moves in the open court and how easily he moves guys down the post. He will play through contact and is as strong as a bull. Clarkson has elite level athleticism. He can turn the corner and explode in a way that reminds you of Westbrook. He has some of the quickest and effortless feet I have ever seen.

And I am basing my analysis of the 2015 draft picks from videos have I seen on Youtube. I will get a better grasp of what I think of them once I see them in summer league. Watching highlight videos are nice but nothing beats watching them in-game and seeing them move and how they react to certain situations.

And show me where I said I think guys like Nance, Brown and Upshaw will stars. None of them probably will. But I mentioned specific things they can bring to the table. I do however think Russell will be a star, possibly a superstar. He has that "it" factor.

[ClipperRevival]

Randle is overated and a waste for a pick that high. We would be better with Lavinge, Vonleh or even Payton.
Clarkson is a steal for #46 but still overhpyed.
Russel is cool though and I like that they didn't go with Okafor.

Vonleh? :facepalm That guy barely saw the court and shot up the draft boards only after he had some impressive measurables at the combines. I am always skeptical of guys who shoot up draft boards after the combine.

Lavine is raw is hell. The most explosive athlete in the 2014 draft but he has a ways to go. Payton looked pretty good at the end of last year. But I would still keep Randle.

[KendrickPerkins]

Lol, as a warriors fan I was one of the people who had high praise for players like brandan Wright (pf) and Anthony Randolph (Sf) complemented with biedrins (c) i thought our this front court was going beast.

When the franchise is in the hole, fans typically try to stay optimistic.
:roll:

you just put a sad perspective on this thread.

the reality is that the lakers probably wont win another championship for the next 50 years.... which is a hard pill to swallow

[Legends66NBA7]

Lol, as a warriors fan I was one of the people who had high praise for players like brandan Wright (pf) and Anthony Randolph (Sf) complemented with biedrins (c) i thought our this front court was going beast.

When the franchise is in the hole, fans typically try to stay optimistic.

Wright has turned out to be a good back up. Randolph and Biedrins are a waste, though.

[FireDavidKahn]

OP are you really saying you're basing all of this off summer league and YouTube highlights?:oldlol:

Summer league means NOTHING and highlight videos on YouTube mean they are only showing the best parts:oldlol:

I saw a Myles Turner highlight video where he didn't miss a three! Curry's record gonna be toast:oldlol:

[COnDEMnED]

:roll:

you just put a sad perspective on this thread.

the reality is that the lakers probably wont win another championship for the next 50 years.... which is a hard pill to swallow
Don't be dumb. The NBA is a business. I'm not saying everything is scripted, but you don't stay in business when your cash cow is in the gutters. Use your brain.

[OnFire]

Last year Glen Rice Jr scored 25 PPG 8reb 2.5steals per game in the summer league and then he scored 2ppg in the season and is playing ball in Rio Grande Valley, wherever that is.

Good luck.

[OnFire]

Don't be dumb. The NBA is a business. I'm not saying everything is scripted, but you don't stay in business when your cash cow is in the gutters. Use your brain.

Well they care if you spend money on their product and their advertisers. And Laker fans do when they win 10 games so why should the NBA care?

[Charlie Sheen]

so youre saying robert upshaw is untalented?

I don't want to speak for the dude, but I think you took it the wrong way. I saw it an indictment of the whole roster when Robert Sacre is one of the major hurdles for Upshaw to claim a roster spot. Something I agree with.

[ClipperRevival]

OP are you really saying you're basing all of this off summer league and YouTube highlights?:oldlol:

Summer league means NOTHING and highlight videos on YouTube mean they are only showing the best parts:oldlol:

I saw a Myles Turner highlight video where he didn't miss a three! Curry's record gonna be toast:oldlol:

Well, prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, that's all one can go by. But I use my eye test, not just look at stats, which can be misleading. And yes, I liked what I saw in both Randle and Clarkson. You have to remember, not many people were high on Clarkson before the season started. It was obvious he had the athleticism to excel at the NBA level. Same with Randle. His speed and power was obvious.

And I agree about highlights, they only show the good plays. That's why I said you have to watch them play live to get a better grasp.

[ClipperRevival]

I don't want to speak for the dude, but I think you took it the wrong way. I saw it an indictment of the whole roster when Robert Sacre is one of the major hurdles for Upshaw to claim a roster spot. Something I agree with.

Right, we have no bigs. When Sacre is carrying the load for stretches at C, you know you got issues at C. If Upshaw just shows up, he should make the roster over Sacre because he is that much better. Sacre is nothing but a body while Upshaw has the potential to be something more. Even if he doesn't shine, he is still a better body than Sacre, longer, taller and most explosive.

[HurricaneKid]

so youre saying robert upshaw is untalented?

I did edit my post. I think Upshaw has outstanding talent and REALLY wanted my Bucks to take him mid round 2. If he gets his head right he has the kind of upside you want in a 2nd rounder. But its HIGHLY UNLIKELY he gets right. I mean he didn't at Fresno. Then he didn't at Wash. And THEN things went south.

But different people mature at different ages. Who knows. Whiteside took a lot of years to get there and he is still a work in progress.

[ClipperRevival]

I did edit my post. I think Upshaw has outstanding talent and REALLY wanted my Bucks to take him mid round 2. If he gets his head right he has the kind of upside you want in a 2nd rounder. But its HIGHLY UNLIKELY he gets right. I mean he didn't at Fresno. Then he didn't at Wash. And THEN things went south.

But different people mature at different ages. Who knows. Whiteside took a lot of years to get there and he is still a work in progress.

We didn't even draft him so if he doesn't pan out, no big deal. When he was with Washington, he averaged like 4.5 blks per game and his team went like 14-4. When he left, they went 2-9.