Lakers Grab Crawford

The Lakers used their only pick in the draft, 58th overall, to grab Kentucky guard Joe Crawford.  Crawford played all four seasons of his collegiate career with the Wildcats and led the team in scoring last year with a shade under 18 points per game.  He finished the season strong, netting two 35-point games in the last four contests.

I like the Crawford pick.  I probably would have taken Davon Jefferson, as mentioned yesterday, but Crawford is a solid choice that late in the draft.  Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said he believed Crawford would be an early second-round pick and felt lucky to find him waiting for the Lakers at 58.  Crawford won the team over with his pre-draft workout for them, according to Kupchak.  Crawford is a bit undersized for the shooting guard position in the NBA and doesn’t have the incredible athleticism and length that could help make up for that deficiency.  He’s a decent shooter and there is a possibility that he can handle some point guard duties.  He played well at the Orlando pre-draft camp so that is a good sign.  I’m not sure if he’ll make the Lakers’ roster, but he could be a decent guy to stick in the D-League for a while if he doesn’t decide to bolt to Europe for more money.

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Permalink - Posted in General on June 27, 2008 - Post a comment