The NBA Draft has come and gone, and the Lakers came away with four second round draft picks. Only time will tell if any of these choices will actually help and benefit the Lakers organization in the long run. Since 2000, the Lakers have drafted several players and over the course of that time period only a few of those players can be recognized as true contributors to the Lakers success this decade. This week we take a look at the top five draft picks since the new millennium began, and what they did to leave their imprint on the Laker organization.
5. Marc Gasol
Although he never played a minute for the Los Angeles Lakers, he was an integral part in bringing his older brother Pau to the city of Los Angeles. At the beginning, the trade seemed to be overwhelmingly in favor of the Lakers, but now more than ever does the trade look a lot more even.
Marc Gasol has flourished and is becoming a force down low, which has had some Lakers fans questioning the decision to include him in that trade. But let’s not forget that the trade did bring in Pau and with him the Lakers won back to back championships.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHmPFxOwqAo&feature=related
4. Sasha Vujacic
The Machine was drafted 27th overall in the first round by the Lakers. Vujacic was drafted out of Snaidero Udine(Italy) in the 2004 draft. With his pesky defense and streaky shooting, he helped the Lakers become back-to-back champions. Although he didn’t contribute a lot to the team, he was traded to the New Jersey Nets where he currently plays. He averages 9.8 points per game, 2.0 assists per game, and 2.8 rebounds per game.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxopvqKlTBc
Next: A Mad Dog and Bruin
3. Mark Madsen
The Mad Dog was selected 29th overall in the first round of the 2000 draft. Madsen played his college ball at Stanford where he shined as the star player and became noticed. The power forward did help the Lakers win titles in 2001 and 2002 with his fierce mentality and aggressive play. After the two championships, he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves where he spent most of his career (2003-2009) before retiring after his 2009 season as a Los Angeles Clipper.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgOQO5MilfI&feature=related
2. Jordan Farmar
Farmar was selected by the Lakers in the 2006 draft and was chosen 26th overall in the first round. He played his college ball at the University of California, Los Angeles and did not have to travel far to get to his new NBA team.
Coming into the league, he backed up Derek Fisher because of the fact that Fisher was aging. Farmar with his skilled shooting and ball handling helped the Laker’s bench and most importantly helped the Lakers get back-to-back titles. As of right now, he is also a member of the New Jersey Nets and has developed a bigger role in New Jersey. He averages 9.6 points per game, 5.0 assists per game, and 2.4 rebounds per game.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k4LtjMelcc
Next: Big Drew
1. Andrew Bynum
Since the beginning, Andrew Bynum showed great potential coming straight out of West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North being the youngest player ever to be drafted in the NBA . Bynum was drafted 10th overall in the first round in the 2005 draft and little by little, he was guided by Laker Great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar into a force in the paint. He averages 10.5 points per game, 7.1 rebound per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.
Andrew Bynum was essential to the Lakers and helped to bring to back-to-back championships to Los Angeles. Now more than ever Andrew Bynum needs to stay healthy and start taking a bigger role and really help the Lakers reach their full potential.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETI94nHUu08&feature=related