Los Angeles Lakers predicted to make questionable move with draft pick despite LeBron James inching closer to retirement originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Lakers will have a chance to get better during the 2026 NBA Draft, but it remains uncertain if Rob Pelinka and the front office want to go that route. With Luka Doncic and LeBron James only getting older, if he decides to play next year, the Lakers could look to move their pick.
However, Ricky O'Donnell of SB Nation thinks they’ll add a player in this draft, predicting them to do so from an elite Michigan team.
O’Donnell projected Los Angeles to select Morez Johnson, highlighting the forward’s impact on both ends of the floor.
“Johnson can protect the paint defensively, score efficiently inside, and is just starting to flesh out his three-point stroke,” O’Donnell wrote.
That defensive presence and inside scoring touch would give the Lakers another physical option in their big-man rotation, perhaps making him a player who could start early on in his career.
“He would add some much needed physicality to the Lakers front court, and he has the length and strength to make up for being a tad short at 6’9,” O’Donnell added.
While his perimeter shot remains something he needs to improve on, it could be something he figures out in the NBA. He’s shooting 80.2% from free-throw range, and while that doesn’t always translate, it’s promising that the youngster can at least knock down his shots from the line.
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