The Los Angeles Lakers will likely take Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns with pick No. 2 on draft night. The mystery selections will certainly be the 27th and 34th picks. The Lakers can either target two players who can fill a role or they can package the picks and move up in the NBA Draft.
At 27th, the Lakers will have some intriguing options. It is a deeper draft than past years. Prospects like Christian Wood, Delon Wright, Justin Anderson, Norman Powell and Rashad Vaughn could be on the board. One player who the Lakers can surely use, if he is available, is R.J. Hunter.
Hunter is best known for his game-winning three-pointer in the second round of the NCAA tournament against Baylor. It appeared that the Georgia State guard was on his way to leading the Panthers on a deep run as a Cinderella. Unfortunately, the Panthers lost in the third round against a talented Xavier team.
The junior guard averaged 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. The best part of Hunter’s game is that he can shoot it from 30 feet comfortably. His 31 percent from beyond the arc doesn’t tell the story, as many of those shots were nearly impossible to hit as defenses constantly keyed in on him. As a sophomore, Hunter made 40 percent of his threes.
The Lakers were missing a consistent shooting threat last season. Nick Young disappointed and Jodie Meeks was truly missed from the season before. What makes the coach’s son a terrific prospect is his size (6-foot-6) and shooting range. Hunter is also an underrated playmaker that makes terrific reads, sort of like Klay Thompson this season. Hunter is also extremely long (6-foot-10 wingspan), which means if he adds more weight (currently 185 pounds), he can be a versatile defender.
Selecting Hunter with the 27th pick is a bargain, as he will be a steal in this year’s draft.
George Middleton is a Los Angeles Lakers beat writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @george51391, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google