The Lakers were widely expected to select Jahlil Okafor, with the second pick, but there was late speculation that D'Angelo Russell could be the player that they would select and sure enough they selected the Point Guard last night which meant Okafor ended up in Philadelphia as he was selected third by the 76ers as Karl-Anthony Towns was the number one pick taken by the Timberwolves. It would have been a real surprise had a player not named either Towns or Okafor had been selected number one.
Living in England I don't get to see as much Basketball action as I would like. Sky Sports and most recently BT Sport have helped feed my NBA addiction, but I know less about the College game. I knew Okafor and watched him lead Duke to the Title so knew what his ability, He was who I wanted the Lakers to go for and I expected them to do so right up until the draft. When I heard Adam Silver say those words I was a little disappointed that the Lakers hadn't opted for a premier big man in Okafor.
I am certainly willing to give D'Angelo a chance, he has a very decent game and is widely praised for his ability. He will be in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant and it will give the Lakers one of the bigger backcourt duos in the NBA with Russell at 6'5. I can see him averaging around 15-5-5 in his rookie season and if he does get those numbers then he will certainly show a lot of potential. This is a good move, but I feel that Okafor would have been the better option. I hope D'Angelo Russell will prove me wrong, but I wish Jahlil Okafor all the best. He's got some serious ability and is NBA ready.
