Lakers Should Use NBA Draft Pick on Big Ten All-Defensive Star

The Los Angeles Lakers are facing a tough mountain to climb in the Western Conference Playoffs, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have a 2-0 series lead.

While Los Angeles looked impressive in their efforts for most of Game 2, OKC ultimately prevailed due to their greater talent and overall depth, showing why they are the favorite to repeat as NBA champions.

Unless LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and the rest of the roster can find some way to pick up wins, they will likely suffer a second-round exit, with Luka Doncic watching from the bench.

And that will lead to offseason questions regarding free agents, potential trades, and June’s 2026 NBA Draft, which can all help this Lakers team improve where they need to most.

As of this writing, they’ll have the No. 25 pick in the first round, where they might be able to add Michigan Wolverines defensive standout, Morez Johnson Jr., and they should if he’s available.

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A recent NBA mock draft via Bleacher Report suggests that Johnson could be the ideal selection for Los Angeles at this spot, as they could use help with their rebounding and interior defense.

It was a glaring weakness for this Lakers team in the regular season, as they were fourth-worst in rebounding and ninth-worst in blocked shots.

They’re also giving up a lot of second-chance baskets to OKC’s big men, Chet Holmgren and Isiah Hartenstein, along with allowing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and other Thunder players to easily complete drives to the basket, where someone could be turning away shots.

Johnson enters the draft as a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward who can give the Lakers help on defense, rebounding, and inside scoring.

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A Big Ten All-Defensive First Team selection last season, he averaged 13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game, as part of the Wolverines’ National Championship-winning season.

Based on Bleacher Report’s analysis, Morez has “defensive versatility” and brings “physicality, soft hands, and finishing” that would benefit the Lakers for screen-setting plays.

They contend he’d been more than capable of inside scoring courtesy of passes from the Lakers’ stars, which should include LeBron James and Luka next season.

The main knock against Johnson is that his size could make him one of the smaller forwards available, but he has the bulk to make him a solid frontcourt addition to this roster.

A lot will be decided once the Lakers’ offseason arrives, with the most significant decisions involving free agents and contracts, including LeBron, Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes. That may or may not impact what the team decides to do when the draft arrives on June 23.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2026 at 4:13 PM.