The Los Angeles Lakers‘ scouting department is going to look very different going forward, with Joey and Jesse Buss getting let go. That makes it difficult to know how the team plans to attack the draft going forward.
Luckily, there’s plenty of time to get things sorted out before the 2026 NBA Draft. The Lakers own their first-round pick next year, which will allow them to add some much-needed young talent.
The Lakers look good this season, but they are going to have plenty of needs. One area of need is at the wing, especially with LeBron James potentially playing his last season in Los Angeles.
Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report put together a mock draft, and he projects the Lakers to select Texas Tech forward JT Toppin.
“There were scouts with a first-round grade on JT Toppin last May. He’s now started his junior year with two 30-point games over his first three, overwhelming defenses with his one-two punch of strength and paint touch,” Wasserman wrote. “Even if it’s difficult to envision pathways to upside for a 6’9” post player, there will be teams that see value and a high floor based on his consistent production, interior scoring instincts, unteachable short-range touch and offensive rebounding.
“Despite underwhelming three-point and free-throw numbers, he did make 39.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot chances.”
Toppin Is Strong Defensive Player
Toppin’s been off to a strong offensive start this college basketball season, but he’s more known for his defense. If he could develop a 3-point shot, he could be a serious problem.
For right now, he’s not a strong shooter, but he does have skill around the basket. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor gave some insight in his scouting report of Toppin.
“Toppin is a defensive stalwart who lays it all out on the floor with a strong interior scoring ability,” O’Connor wrote. “But unless he can translate his soft touch from the paint to a much deeper range, he’ll be a limited scorer that will have to rely on others to make an offensive impact.”
O’Connor also praised his playmaking.
“He’d score highly on a reaction-time game considering how quick his hands are,” O’Connor wrote. “He logs a ton of blocks and steals, whether he’s swiping at the ball when a ball-handler least suspects it, or throwing his arms up to intercept entry passes.”
Is Toppin Right Fit for Lakers?
Toppin is a very interesting prospect. He was the Big 12 Player of the Year last year and looks really good to start this season.
There are some big concerns with his shooting ability, but that’s something he could work on. The Lakers will likely be picking at the end of the first round, so they aren’t going to get a blue-chip prospect. Just finding a player who can work his way into the rotation would be a win.
If James does retire or leave the Lakers, they need size on the wing. Toppin wouldn’t come close to replacing his playmaking ability, but he’d at least bring some defensive upside.
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