Lakers Linked With Sharpshooting Guard Entering NBA Draft

The Los Angeles Lakers hold the 55th pick in the NBA draft, and a recent mock draft has the team taking a highly skilled shooter.

The Lakers are building around LeBron James and Luka Doncic, who both need rim-rolling big men and floor-spacing wing players.

Those two kinds of players are the team's top needs heading into the season, given the lack of size and shooting that the Lakers had in the playoffs.

In terms of assets, the Lakers have a taxpayer exception that should allow the signing of a solid free agent. Additionally, the team has a first-round pick and some players that can be traded.

The team's only draft pick is at the end of the second round. There is potential for a trade up, though there are no indiciation that is in the cards.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report wrote up a mock draft and had the Lakers choose guard Tamar Bates out of Missouri.

"Tamar Bates has put himself in the second-round discussion with a strong draft process, first standing out at Elite Camp and then looking like he belonged during NBA combine scrimmages," Wasserman wrote in his story.

"He's an efficient shotmaker and one of the most efficient finishers among guards in this year's field.

For his college career, Bates shot 37.3% from the 3-point line, improving year after year.

He rarely started during his first couple of years at Indiana, but when he transferred to Missouri, Bates got more playing time and succeeded.

He averaged 13 points per game his junior and senior year, with an assist and two rebounds.