The Lakers missed out on landing a maximum-salaried superstar—they get an "F" for their presentation skills—but waited out the market to set up some secondary deals that could help the team next year.
Let's hand out grades for the moves L.A. has made so far this summer, beginning with the NBA draft.
2015 NBA Draft
After getting some help from the lottery gods and securing the No. 2 overall pick, the Lakers surprised most draftniks by selecting guard D'Angelo Russell over center Jahlil Okafor.
It was a bold move by the Lakers, as they eschewed the safer and more traditional pick for a shot at greater glory with Russell.
Neil Paine and Zach Bradshaw put together a statistical model over at FiveThirtyEight.com that broke down the likelihood of players becoming stars, starters, role players or busts.
Their chart shows that Russell has the best shot at any player in the draft to become a star—but he's also the most likely guy in the top 25 to flame out.
The Lakers are betting big on Russell, taking into account the direction that NBA basketball is heading. The Ohio State product seems like the perfect fit for the modern game. He can handle and pass like a point guard, score with the best wings and has the length to switch assignments on the fly and guard multiple positions.
Choosing Russell over Okafor was also a nod to the plethora of big men available in free agency over the summer. In hindsight we know that factor was irrelevant, but L.A. set itself up for the best chance at building a competitive roster immediately. I'll tip my hat to that thought process, even if the outcome didn't quite pan out.
In the second round, the Lakers made Stanfo...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
