Los Angeles Lakers: 2009 NBA Draft

2009 NBA DRAFT:  NBA Team Needs/Capsules - NBA Mock Draft - Top 100 Prospects

 

- We’ll update our Team Capsules with more specific info once the lottery is complete.

 

Los Angeles Lakers

2007-08 Record: 65-17

 

Draft Picks: 29, 42, 59

 

Key Free Agents:  Trevor Ariza, Shannon Brown (restricted), Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom

 

How they got here:

The Lakers certainly have some important pieces who could be gone next year, but when it’s all said and done, they’ll still likely be the class of the Western Conference. Kobe (who isn’t going anywhere), Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum are a good place for any team to start, and even if Odom leaves for greener pastures, the Lakers have the depth of talent to absorb a loss. Brown has played well since coming over from Charlotte, so the Lakers will likely try to keep him, as Derek Fisher isn’t getting any younger. Ariza has also been a key piece this season, and his versatility is a great fit for their system. Look for the Lakers to push hard to keep him around.

 

Who they’ll take:

With no major holes to fill, the Lakers can afford to draft a young player and let him develop. With Bynum’s injury history, they could look for a younger player to provide some post depth, with USC’s Taj Gibson or Arizona State’s Jeff Pendergraph possible targets, as guys who could fill the energy-guy role left vacant by Ronny Turiaf. They could also look for a versatile forward, such as Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers or Villanova’s Dante Cunningham, to fill Odom’s role if he doesn’t return. If they were to lose Ariza, they could also target a bigger wing player, like Louisville’s Terrence Williams or Texas’ Damion James.

                                                                                          

Draft History:

2008: Joe Crawford (58)

2007: Javaris Crittenton (19), Sun Yue(40), Marc Gasol (48)

2006: Jordan Farmar (26), Cheick Samb (51)

2005: Andrew Bynum (10), Robby Turiaf (37), Von Wafer (39)

2004: Sasha Vujacic (27), Marcus Douthit (56)

2003: Brian Cook (24), Luke Walton (32)

2002: Chris Jeffries (27)

2001: No picks

2000: Mark Madsen (29)

 

2009 NBA DRAFT:  NBA Team Needs/Capsules - NBA Mock Draft - Top 100 Prospects

 

Top Prospects

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Stephen Curry - PG/SG - Davidson

Tyreke Evans - PG/SG - Memphis

Blake Griffin - PF - Oklahoma

James Harden - SG - Arizona State

Jordan Hill - PF - Arizona

Ty Lawson - PG - UNC

BJ Mullens - C - Ohio State

Ricky Rubio - PG - DKV Joventut

Brandon Jennings - PG - Arizona

Hasheem Thabeet - C - UCONN