T-26. Los Angeles Lakers: 6.5 points
- 2005: Andrew Bynum: 4 (1x all-star, 1x 2nd team)
- 2014: Julius Randle: 0.5
- 2015: D’Angelo Russell: 1 (1x all-star)
- 2016: Brandon Ingram: 1 (1x all-star)
The Los Angeles Lakers being ranked 26th here is more about a lack of opportunities than anything else. They were so dominant in the Kobe/Shaq era and again in the Kobe/Pau era that they never had quality picks. From 2000-13 they only had one pick in the lottery and got it right with Andrew Bynum in 2005.
They fell back into the lottery in the middle of this decade but they were eventually able to use their 2016 and 2017 picks (Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball) as centerpieces in a trade that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
So, yes, the Lakers haven’t built themselves through the draft in the 2000s, but when the opportunities were there, they never whiffed and were still able to use the draft to their advantage when they needed it. Draft picks are overrated when you can basically go from Shaq/Kobe to Kobe/Pau to LeBron/Davis.