{"id":16652,"date":"2026-06-20T15:31:41","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T15:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652"},"modified":"2026-06-20T15:31:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T15:31:41","slug":"nba-draft-who-should-the-lakers-target-with-the-25th-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652","title":{"rendered":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

After not making a selection in the first round of the NBA draft a year ago, the Lakers are set to do so on Tuesday night for the first time since selecting Dalton Knecht in 2024.<\/p>\n

Read more Santa Ana police say drone feed helped guide response to January protest involving federal agents<\/a><\/p>\n

And while the group of players projected to go in the front half of the first round this year has many analysts calling this the most talented draft class in more than a decade, the Lakers will have to wait until the 25th pick \u2013 where they will likely have their eye on the best talent available to address their frontcourt depth or a wing to add to the mix.<\/p>\n

The likes of consensus top picks Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson and Cameron Boozer will be long gone by the time the No. 25 slot is on the clock, but presuming the Lakers don\u2019t elect to trade back or out of the draft, there should still be plenty of high-upside options that President of Basketball Operations\/General Manager Rob Pelinka can choose from.<\/p>\n

Here are five players, in no particular order, who the Lakers could target with the 25th pick:<\/p>\n

Forward\/center Zuby Ejiofor, St. John\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ejiofor had back-to-back breakout seasons under Coach Rick Pitino, emerging as one of the better big men in not just the Big East Conference, but in the nation. He\u2019s too undersized at 6-foot-9 to be a true NBA center, but with the Lakers\u2019 frontcourt uncertain heading into the season ahead, Ejiofor could slot in as depth alongside Adou Thiero on the bench with enough muscle (at 245 pounds) to help lighten the load Deandre Ayton or Jaxson Hayes should they return.<\/p>\n

Ejiofor, who averaged 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocked shots per game last season, has the hustle to fight his way into the paint for rebounds, and contest shots of players who \u2013 on paper \u2013 have more to offer than him, but pre-draft buzz has him being selected around the time the Lakers will be on the clock.<\/p>\n

Forward\/center Chris Cenac Jr., Houston<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Also slightly undersized at 6-10, Cenac joins Ejiofor as a developmental big man with the upside for Lakers coach JJ Redick and his staff to unlock more from him.<\/p>\n

Cenac, who averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.5 blocks last season, would likely slot in as a two-way contract-style player (likely on a guaranteed contract despite spending time in the G League) who needs more development before joining an NBA rotation. He\u2019s got a rebounding motor, unafraid to crash the boards, but for the time being, he lacks pure scoring confidence against players of similar-or-better quality. Cenac has flashy, raw skills, but he could still be a few years away from being an impact player on the roster of any NBA contender.<\/p>\n

Forward\/center Tarris Reed Jr., Connecticut<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reed is a far more traditional big man than most of the options who will likely be available in the first round. He\u2019s 6-9, but his impressive physicality in the paint has, so far, proven that he could match up against most NBA big men comfortably.<\/p>\n

Read more America 250: One hour in Trenton changed the course of the American Revolution<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Reed, who averaged 14.7 points, 9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.0 blocks for a Huskies team that reached the national championship game last season, has shown promise in the pick and roll and could be an imposing lob threat who players like Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves (should he return) would enjoy playing with. But unlike Ayton, or even Hayes, Reed has yet to show that he can create his own offense \u2013 more likely relying on open looks from teammates or second-chance baskets.<\/p>\n

Forward\/center Jayden Quaintance, Kentucky<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Quaintance had been fully healthy for Kentucky, there\u2019s a world where the 6-9 big man with a 7-5 wingspan might have been a surefire lottery selection. Instead, NBA teams are banking on the All-Defensive team ceiling that Quaintance showed at Arizona State, where he earned All-Big-12 Defensive Team honors two years ago (9.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.5 bpg, 1.5 apg).<\/p>\n

The hesitance for NBA front offices considering him would be the potential complications from a torn ACL and meniscus he suffered in February 2025 when he was still at ASU, injuries that kept him off the court for most of his one season with the Wildcats.<\/p>\n

Quaintance lacks a pure jumper, and he hasn\u2019t shown the tools for it to be part of his scoring repertoire in the NBA, but he has plus defensive skills that could shine with the proper development team around him. It\u2019s worth noting that Quaintance is still just 18 years old until July 11 despite just finishing his second year in college; making him an interesting choice considering he\u2019s ahead of the curve, experience-wise, compared to similar potential selections his age.<\/p>\n

Guard Isaiah Evans, Duke<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the Lakers use their pick to add depth on the wing, where their they were exploited during their second-round playoff loss to Oklahoma City this spring, Evans (15 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 apg, 0.7 bpg, 0.7 spg) is a good option.<\/p>\n

Evans has shown a solid stroke from 3-point range, making more than 40% of his attempts as a freshman before shooting 36.1% from deep as a sophomore. As a 6-6 wing, he could play a similar role to the one Luke Kennard filled as an off-the-bench option, asked to make shots out of timeouts on designed plays.<\/p>\n

However, much like fringe guards the Lakers rostered at times last season \u2013 Nick Smith Jr. and Kobe Bufkin \u2013 Evans doesn\u2019t have a large frame and could be seen as undersized in the modern NBA, struggling against physical defenders who have more heft.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions: Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Santa Clara forward Allen Graves, Cincinnati forward Baba Miller, North Carolina center Henry Veesaar, Arizona forward Koa Peat<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Can wearing a glucose monitor make you healthier? Here\u2019s what happened to students who did<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the Lakers decide to keep their first-round pick on Tuesday night instead of trading back or out of the draft, they could look to bolster their frontcourt or wing depth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","category-based-on-factual-reporting-although-it-incorporates-the-expertise-of-the-author-and-may-offer-interpretations-and-conclusions"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If the Lakers decide to keep their first-round pick on Tuesday night instead of trading back or out of the draft, they could look to bolster their frontcourt or wing depth.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652\"},\"wordCount\":1000,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\",\"Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the author and may offer interpretations and conclusions.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652\",\"name\":\"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=16652#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"If the Lakers decide to keep their first-round pick on Tuesday night instead of trading back or out of the draft, they could look to bolster their frontcourt or wing depth.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick?","datePublished":"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652"},"wordCount":1000,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp","articleSection":["Analysis","Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the author and may offer interpretations and conclusions."],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652","name":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick? - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-20T15:31:41+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3fcb334ce7154a85ae1d027dd99a483a.webp","width":1024,"height":576},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=16652#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NBA draft: Who should the Lakers target with the 25th pick?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}