The Los Angeles Lakers have a need for wings with length who are dependable 3-point shooters and, ideally, can defend at a high level. Such players seem to be the lifeblood of the modern NBA, despite some newfound talk that newly minted finals MVP Nikola Jokic is going to tilt its positional bias back to the center spot.
Los Angeles will have the No. 17 and No. 47 picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft, which will give it an opportunity to net two reliable players on team-friendly rookie contracts. In addition, there will be some undrafted free agents for it to choose from, and perhaps it could find another diamond in the rough within that group, just as it did with Alex Caruso and Austin Reaves.
One player in this year’s draft class who could go undrafted but has some potential is JT Shumate from the University of Toledo.