clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

SB Nation Mock Draft: The Los Angeles Lakers acquire the 30th pick, select Delon Wright

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

After trying to capitalize on a surprisingly effective Finals performance and unload David Lee's expiring contract in order to make more room for Draymond Green, the Warriors have decided to trade their pick to the LA Lakers for #34 and a 2017 second rounder.

The Los Angeles Lakers select point guard Delon Wright from the University of Utah

Lucas: The Lakers walk away today with a trio of young talented guards, as they now have Jordan Clarkson, Delon Wright and Rashad Vaughn. Wright is an incredibly gifted defender, as he averaged 2.4 steals per game last season. It will take time, but I believe that in a few years Wright will be one of the best one ball defenders, particularly on point guards in the NBA. At 6’6" he  has great height for the point guard position, but he also possesses a great feel of the game, he is a natural at running the pick and roll and is a very good at finding open shooters wherever the are on the floor. Wright and Okafor should make for a great pairing, and Lakers fans should expect him to challenge Clarkson for the starting point guard position within the next 2-3 years.

Dontae: The Lakers are sneakily building a very underrated group of guards. As Lucas mentioned, the Clarkson, Vaughn, Wright trio has a real good shot at being a very effective rotation, if the Lakers don’t deal them away for a star at moments notice.

Wright has a very crafty style of play on offense, able to get where he wants to on the floor in a variety of situations and circumstances. His size aids in this as he can get passes all over the floor this way. He can guard both guard positions, with great hands and tremendous anticipation going for steals. He does have some glaring issues.

For one, he can’t shoot to save his life (30 percent from three in two season), and he doesn’t finish at the rim (though he does get to the free throw line quite a bit). Still, this is a solid pick next to Vaughn and Clarkson, they have the makings of a interesting group…..or they can end up like the Portland Trailblazers former potential bench stars trio of Allen Crabbe, CJ McCollum, and Will Barton.

Kevin: Another young guard?  Is the age of Kobe already done despite the LA Faithful saying it will never die… Just got a text to go to Temecula.

Anyway, Wright is a solid defender and with his length will create a lot of havoc in the lanes. He’s got a sweet first step, but once he gets to the rim he has a hard time finishing the shot, especially against bigger bodies.

He’s got decent handles and probably can play point on the NBA level in a pinch, would be a lot more trustworthy with the ball than Swaggy P because you never know when that dude is going to do a pull-up 74 footer just to impress some people.

Taylor: Is the Jordan Clarkson experiment over? I thought he was a building block for the future. Maybe he still is and this is a depth move, but I could see Wright eclipsing Clarkson for the starting position in time.

I think the Lakers made a good move here, as I had Wright in the early 20s on my big board. Only using a 2017 second rounder to move up and get him gives them a tall, long point guard who can both score the ball and set up his teammates. He isn't your prototypical new school point guard who relies on athleticism, he's more clever and keeps his opponents off balance with a variety of moves and a slick handle. He has a strong ability to get to the rim and either finish or draw fouls and shoots free throws at an 84% clip.