The 2017 NBA draft class housed some of the best young talents in the NBA. Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, and Jarrett Allen have already been named as All-stars with many other borderline all-stars and great role players. The Los Angeles Lakers used their 2nd pick of the draft to pass on Jayson Tatum and he was hurt about the decision.
Jayson Tatum is having a great season so far. His Boston Celtics beat the best teams in the East to make the NBA finals for the first time in a decade. He made an All-NBA team and was also awarded the first ‘Larry Bird’ eastern conference finals MVP. In the NBA finals, he was able to steal 1 game from the Warriors at the Bay.
Los Angeles Lakers prioritized hype over talent in Jayson Tatum ‘s case
When the 2017 NBA draft was coming around, the Boston Celtics had the number one pick of the draft with the Lakers in 2nd and Philadelphia. Philadelphia had their eyes set on Fultz to compliment Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons which never actually panned out. That meant that the Lakers had the opportunity to draft an all-NBA or all-star player but somewhat fumbled the ball.
Lonzo Ball was extremely hyped coming out of college. He attended UCLA and played a flashy brand of basketball. But this coupled with Lavar Ball’s expressive personality got him even higher in the eyes of LA. The Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise under the microscope every year and they needed something exciting.
Lonzo Ball never panned out in his time at LA. But he was the main piece that got LA Anthony Davis. And they won an NBA title so it all worked out. Bur they missed out on Jayson Tatum, who grew up a Laker fan. He would’ve loved to play on the team that his idol, Kobe Bryant, once played.
“The Lakers were my favorite team, and Kobe was my favorite player. So it was crazy that the Lakers had the second pick and I was so close to a dream come true. But it was just like they didn’t want anything to do with me at the time.”
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Jayson Tatum seemed hurt by what unfolded and is now making LA pay by helping their rivals overtake them in NBA titles. However, we could see Tatum one day play for the Lakers because of his affinity to the purple and gold.