Copyright Heavy.
The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a very good start to the season, but the only way the franchise is going to find sustained success is if they improve their performance in the draft. The last time the team drafted an All-Star was Brandon Ingram in 2016, and he didn’t become an All-Star until after he left the team. The Lakers don’t pick in the lottery often, but that doesn’t mean stars can’t be found later in the draft. As of now, the team is set to have a first-round pick and a second-round pick in next year’s draft. Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report put together a mock draft for the 2026 NBA Draft, and he projects the Lakers to select Duke guard Isaiah Evans with the No. 26 pick. “With a larger sophomore role, Isaiah Evans should be aggressive this year showing more of the shot creation and scoring we saw in high school,” Wasserman wrote. “Playing off the ball last year, he graded in the 99th percentile in spot-up efficiency, per Synergy Sports, hitting 48.3 percent of those threes and showing signs of line-drive attacking and footwork off the dribble. “Even if he struggles to show new one-on-one play or playmaking, Evans may be an advanced enough shooter to interest scouts in the late first round.” Evans Could Increase Draft Stock Right now, Evans appears that he will have to wait until late in the first round to get drafted, but that could change if he has a big season. In Duke’s first game of the college basketball season, Evans scored 23 points. If he keeps up that kind of scoring throughout the year, he’s going to fly up draft boards. While that’d be good for him, that wouldn’t be great for the Lakers if they like his game. It’s hard to imagine they’ll end the season with a top-20 pick. Regardless, Evans is a player to watch this season. Lakers Winning Without Stars It’s arguably a miracle that the Lakers are 6-2 right now. LeBron James hasn’t played this season, Luka Doncic has missed four games and Austin Reaves had to miss the team’s recent game against the Portland Trail Blazers that Los Angeles somehow won. Head coach JJ Redick has been impressed with how other players have stepped up. “You can’t win in the NBA without stepping on the floor and expecting to win,” Redick said. “And I thought our guys had that from the start.” Redick believes that having a play-led approach to the team has helped. “I’ve told the team this a number of times throughout the preseason and early in this season: The best teams are always gonna be player-led,” he said. “And so those guys holding each other to that.” The Lakers have star power, so they weren’t written off before the season, but not many expected them to have a great year. So far, it looks like the team might have enough firepower to compete with anybody. “We got a good group,” Redick said. “I’m excited about this group and what we could potentially be.”
