Pick 58: With their fourth and final pick, the Lakers pick a long shot even longer than Chukwudiebere Maduabum. They draft
Ater Majok, the famous (or infamous) former UConn player who has never achieved anything except hype. Majok, who turns 25 in two weeks, began his professional career last season, where he visited a few stops before landing back in his native(ish) Australia. He averaged 2.7 points per game for the Gold Coast Blaze, and therefore becomes the first player to ever be drafted immediately after averaging 2.7 points per game in the Australian league. Whoopee.
The pick makes no sense, for the simple reason that Majok has never shown anything, and is too old to ever really do so. He is too old to be a project, to be a draft-and-stash, to be anything that ever impacts the NBA after tonight. If the Lakers wanted to draft and stash a big man, there were candidates out there - Greg Smith, Michael Dunigan or
Giorgi Shermadini all make far more sense. Shermadini in particular is the kind of player you draft and stash - he is playing in the Euroleague, stands 7'1 tall, and has a very high level of fundamentals. Instead, the international scouting process - which the ESPN panel are lauding due to a lack of anything else to say - has somehow ignored a promising Euroleague centre in favour of a disappointing Big East one, who is far too old and far too raw to ever matter.
There is really no point in trying to predict the NBA draft.
(This is also why there should be a third round. Aren't we having fun right now?)
