The Los Angeles Lakers Should Draft UCLA’s Kyle Anderson

Mar 20, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins player Kyle Anderson at a press conference during practice before the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers dreadful season is finally over. They now look forward to rebuilding this off-season to right the ship for Kobe Bryant‘s return. There are a number of things LA has to do to get back to NBA supremacy and landing a solid player in this year’s NBA Draft is high on their to-do list. The Lakers have a shot to get the number one selection in the lottery, and at latest, fourteenth. But with so many players to chose from, how do they decide? It is simple, the Lakers should select Kyle Anderson.

And here is why…

The Lakers Are At Thin Point Guard

Steve Blake was traded, Jordan Farmar and Kendall Marshall are not consistent and Steve Nash needs to retire. There are a lot of floor generals to choose from in the upcoming draft, but none of them have that special quality like Anderson. He has potential to be a very good pro and his skills are more ready than raw. At 6’9″, Anderson is not so much athletic, but highly skilled. He played the point the last two years and this past season helped UCLA get 81.8 points per game (12th in the NCAA) and 17.2 assists per game (5th in the NCAA).

He Is “Instant Offense”

Anderson lead UCLA in rebounds (8.8 rpg) and assists (6.5 apg). He was also second on the team in scoring with 14.6 ppg. Last season, Anderson had UCLA’s first triple-double since 1995, with multiple double-doubles throughout the season. He is a player that knows exactly where to be on the floor and when to get his teammates the ball. He has great hands, can drive to the rim and has shown to be able to hit the three-point shot consistently.

Anderson Can Play Multiple Positions

Kyle Anderson was known as a “point forward” last season because he played different positions on different ends of the court. On offense, he was the guy who you always wanted to have the ball. On defense, he moved to power forward and was a ball magnet under the rim. He is not known as a banger, but has the ability to get rebounds in traffic. This guy does it all.

He Will Add To The Long Line Of UCLA Bruins That Played For The Los Angeles Lakers

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor), Lucious Allen, Walt Hazzard, Gail Goodrich, Jamaal Wilkes, we could go on. The point is, Kyle Anderson’s name would look good among this list.

Anderson Is Reminiscent Of Another Tall Point Guard

What other 6’9″ point guard played for the Los Angeles Lakers? The same that Anderson has been compared to in his two years at UCLA. Earvin “Magic” Johnson. The Magic Man is one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, and we are not saying Anderson will be that elite, but there is truth to the comparison.

Anderson has a controlled style similar to what Johnson had, both have/had great hands for being their size and even though Anderson is known as “SLOWMO” (because it looks like he plays slow), he moves through offenses seamlessly, kind of like Johnson.

To End…

The Lakers will be making changes this summer, but the one constant seems to be Kobe Bryant. As a guy that likes the limelight, Bryant would flourish with the unselfish Anderson. At UCLA, Anderson had great chemistry with leading scorer Jordan Adams and was able to lead the Bruins to a post-season Pac-12 Tournament Championship together. This guy does not like to lose, kind of like #24.

If Anderson is available at the time, he needs to be the guy LA selects. If the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to rebuild for the future, Kyle Anderson is a player that a team can count on. Plus, who would not want a 6’9″ point guard?

Mike W.R.

Twitter: @TheBigDisco