Why Lakers didn't draft Jayson Tatum (Image Source: IMAGN)
Former Lakers president Magic Johnson recently explained why the team didn’t draft Jayson Tatum in the 2017 NBA Draft. With the second pick, the Lakers chose Lonzo Ball, while Tatum went third to the Celtics. Many questioned the decision, as Tatum became the best player in his class. Tatum was also disappointed, as he had hoped to play for Kobe Bryant’s team.
During a recent interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, the former president said his team consisted of too many forwards in 2017. They had guys like Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, and Larry Nance Jr. at the time. With that in mind, it made more sense to draft a point guard instead of another forward.
"We took a look at [Jayson Tatum], I was the president," Johnson said. "But the problem was, we were top heavy in forwards. I couldn't take him. We had Brandon Ingram, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., so we already had too many forwards. .. If I took another forward, we would never see this Tatum if he ended up with the Lakers. He would've been sitting on the bench."
