Lakers Can Grab Kobe's Replacement at No. 2

The big excitement out of the gates in the NBA Draft hinges on if the Los Angeles Lakers pick guard D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State to play as a temporary backcourt mate and ultimate heir to Kobe Bryant.

You always want to draft a freshman because they improve so much. Looking at the top 5 Value Adds of any freshman, Russell gets the edge over Okafor, assuming Lakers choose him.

Make a note: Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky is the only absolutely clear choice at No. 1. He is much, much, much, better than anyone else. His 11.39 rating at www.valueaddbasketball.com means he improved Kentucky by over 11 points a game, slightly less than senior Delon Wright of Utah (11.88). But a senior plays close to his peak. Towns projects to be worth almost 20 additional points per game if he stayed three more years. So, his value is almost double that of Wright long term.

The real significance of Russell going to the Lakers is that they are finally going to build through a draft, creating the path to contend after Kobe Bryant leaves and even if he is not able to return to form this year for a last run.

If the Lakers are able to pull off the deal to get Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins to dominate inside, then there is no need for the defensively challenged Okafor.

While there will be foreign players tonight, and guys with future potential who did not develop it in college, we want to give a special shout-out to the 40 players who were both great college players (in the top 5% of all players in college basketball this year) and can legitimately be good pros as well. They are listed by school.