NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Lakers jump into the top 3; De’Andre Hunter enters top 5

The Los Angeles Lakers jumping into the top 3 would be almost the best-case scenario for the team as it inches closer to arguably their biggest summer in history. In the event that this would actually happen, there’s a very good chance that the Lakers would be selecting for the Pelicans with the second pick in the NBA Draft.

However, for the sake of this exercise, let’s assume that the Lakers would be keeping this pick. And after watching Zion go off the board, R.J. Barrett would be a solid addition. Barrett fills the void that this team has at the small forward or shooting guard position, and would give the Lakers flexibility to play all different combination of lineups.

While Barrett may have somewhat disappointed in some areas of his game during his freshman season at Duke, there’s no question that he might be the most talented player (not counting Zion) in this draft. The Lakers would, perhaps for once in a long time, make the smart decision and simply take the best player available at No. 2. Hopefully, this time they won’t trade him away before he blossoms.