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With the 48th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers have selected stretch four Ryan Kelly out of Duke. The 6'11 power forward is the Lakers only draft selection for 2013.
Kelly averaged 12.9 points per game on 46 percent shooting overall and shot a solid 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Many picks that our Silver Screen and Roll draft specialist Ben Rosales outlined that were headed to the Lakers in mock drafts were off the board earlier than expected. However, in his early draft primer, Rosales did discuss Kelly and acknowledged that he had the expected stretch four skillset, a face-up game, ballhandling ability and good awareness as a passer.
The Lakers did not address their glaring need at the small forward position, though adding a power forward with the expected departure of Antawn Jamison -- specifically a player who can stretch the floor -- could be a solid use of their only draft pick.
Coming out of Duke as a senior, Kelly will likely have expectations to contribute sooner than later, particularly after being a part of a structured environment with the Blue Devils.
Stay tuned for the great Ben Rosales to give his full input on the selection of Kelly. In the meantime, here's a little highlight package of the newest Laker:
- Drew
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