About 10 years ago, the Los Angeles Lakers selected center Andrew Bynum out of St. Joseph High School with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. The seven-footer was thought to be the next great big man for the Lakers and actually had some success in Los Angeles helping the team win two consecutive NBA titles until being traded for Dwight Howard in 2012.
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With the Lakers having the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Los Angeles has a shot at drafting another center that could prove to be a cornerstone for the franchise. Towns attended the same high school as Bynum, but has received much higher praise from the school’s Athletic Director, Jerry Smith.
Smith believes Towns is by far the better player in comparison to the former Lakers center. Smith said the following about the two centers, via Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
“Karl is way better than Bynum,” Metuchen (N.J.) St. Joseph High Athletic Director Jerry Smith said in February. “I don’t want to talk negative about [Bynum] but there’s no comparison whatsoever. This kid works, this kid is really the total package. He’s one in a million.”
At this point in time, it’s uncertain whether Towns will fall to the Lakers with the second overall pick. There’s been a lot of debate since the NBA Draft Lottery on whether the Minnesota Timberwolves would elect to select Jahlil Okafor over Towns.
The consensus continues to be that Towns is the best prospect in the upcoming draft and a no-brainer for the T-Wolves with the top pick. Flip Saunders appears to think differently with the head coach and team president said to be favoring the Duke star over the Kentucky product.
With that being said, the Lakers could have Towns land in their lap and potential “one in a million” player that Smith claims he is. Otherwise, the storied franchise ends up with Okafor and is still in a great position with a potential game-changing center.
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