NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers To Select Duke Standout In Draft Simulation

KEY POINTS

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to further improve their roster despite being championship contenders
One criticism the Lakers received is their lack of playmaking
One speculated move they'll make is selecting a guard in the upcoming NBA draft

The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as one of the favorites to win this year’s NBA championship. While the season continues to be on hold, one rumor that could change the landscape after this year involves the Lakers selecting a young point guard.

While the league is preparing to resume the season due to the unprecedented events of a global pandemic, speculation has already risen for what the Lakers in years to come. Despite the Lakers predicted as one of the finalists for this year’s championship, there is still much room to improve their roster to continue their dominance.

The addition of star big man Anthony Davis has made all the difference this year. The duo of Davis and LeBron is considered as one of the more dominant figures in the NBA.

For LeBron, he is brewing up another MVP caliber season with averages of 25.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 10.6 assists per outing. This is coupled with Davis’ 26.7 points and 9.4 boards an evening.

While these two dominate the court on a nightly basis, one criticism the Lakers would constantly receive is their lack of depth on the playmaking department. Their second-best guard after LeBron is Rajon Rondo.

With Rondo averaging five dimes per game, the Lakers are still looking for a reliable facilitator who can stay healthy and consistently stay on the floor. While Rondo has been known as one of the best playmakers in the league, injuries have sidelined him for some considerable time.

Per Lake Show Life, one solution to the Lakers’ issue can be solved by their performance in the NBA draft. In Tankathon's draft simulator, the Lakers ended up with the 29th pick of the draft and selected Tre Jones from the Duke basketball program.

The standout point guard is known as one of the backcourt players during the dominant stint of RJ Barrett and Zion Williamson in Duke. The six-foot-three guard has experience dealing with big names and leading a team’s offense to success.

The former ACC Player of the Year has a lot of potential moving forward and it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can draft someone of Jones’ caliber in the near future.