As the general manager and vice president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, the final decisions always fall on Rob Pelinka. Whether it is the draft, free agency, trades or anything else, it will all come down on Pelinka, good or bad.
This offseason has seemingly gone just as Pelinka and the Lakers wanted, with the team making some good additions in free agency, retaining their own players, and adding a couple of promising young players via the NBA Draft.
It is the draft especially where the Lakers have shined in recent years and Pelinka believes that is a team effort. In a Lakers behind the scenes video, Pelinka spoke on all of his previous experiences helping him during the draft now, and also credited the rest of the front office staff for all they contribute as well:
“I think the good news for me is, having been trained in law school and business school you’re used to kinda, in law school especially, the courtroom feel where it’s high pressure, every word matters, you’re making decisions on the fly. And then having 20 years of experience as an agent being on the other side of the draft, I think gives me a lens of what player representatives and players are going through in that moment.
“Being at the table in this room with really, really smart people that you’re collaborating with, getting input in, making real-time decisions in a fast-paced environment. And then as the leader of basketball operations you have to step up and pull a lever and make a decision and I know when I make those it’s based on a lot of incredible help and information that’s being brought to me in the moment and has already been brought to me.”
From the scouting department to the coaching staff and everyone in the front office, it is truly a collaborative effort when it comes to the Lakers and the draft and that is why they have had so much success.
When everyone is on the same page it makes the entire process better and with Pelinka at the top, that has been the case for this Lakers franchise.
Lakers director of scouting Jesse Buss explains his draft strategy
One area of the front office that has received a ton of praise has been the Lakers scouting department, which is led by Jesse Buss. He recently spoke on the way he views the draft as well, noting that he prefers to take the best player available over drafting for fit.
Buss noted that while fit does play a factor, he believes more mistakes are made when drafting for fit or immediate need, as opposed to taking the more talented player.
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