NBA mock draft: Lakers select Justin Anderson with No. 27 pick

It's NBA Draft week and the final updates for mock drafts are starting to roll in. The Los Angeles Lakers have been searching far and wide to make sure they can draft the best player available with all of their picks, but what they'll do with 27th selection of the draft has become nearly impossible to project. Justin Anderson -- one of the wings the team has worked out during their pre-draft process -- is the latest player dropping to the Lakers at No. 27 in DraftExpress' updated mock draft.

Anderson might be the most ideal player that projects to be available in the Lakers' range, proving to be a three-point threat that also has great physical attributes and defensive potential. The Lakers have a serious need at small forward, and Anderson could become a legitimate 3-and-D wing at the NBA level. Another aspect of Justin's profile that could weigh in his favor is that he spent three years playing at the college level, giving him more time to develop as an athlete and player. Mitch Kupchak has targeted experienced players in the draft several times, and might get the chance to do so again.

Here's what DraftExpress had to say about the potential Lakers draftee:

The Lakers don't have a real small forward on their roster, having rotated between Kobe Bryant, Nick Young and Wesley Johnson at various points last season. Anderson would provide some solid depth on the wing. He made 45% of his 3s at Virginia and has multipositional versatility defensively with his 7-foot wingspan.

Delon Wright, Rashad Vaugh and Joseph Young are just a few of the other players that have been mentioned as potential targets at No. 27. The biggest challenge in projecting this selection isn't just that the Lakers have auditioned such a wide-range of prospects, but it's dependent on what each team ahead of that pick decides to do. This is one of the first instances of Anderson still being available for Los Angeles' second first-round pick, so take it at face value.

Want more on Anderson? Here's DX's video breakdown of his strengths: