The Lakers reportedly like Tyrell Terry, but his draft stock is slowly rising

If the Los Angeles Lakers decide to keep the player they select with the No. 28 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, pretty much every sign is pointing towards them selecting a guard.

The Lakers have been linked almost exclusively to guards so far, and the latest mock draft from ESPN Insider Jonathan Givony is no different, projecting the team to select Stanford guard Tyrell Terry:

While many assume the defending champions will look toward more NBA-ready players, the Lakers seem to like Terry, who is getting looks as high as the late teens. His pure shooting stroke and creativity operating out of pick-and-roll are intriguing, considering his youth.

The Lakers have already been linked to Terry, so it does seem as though their interest in him is legit, but it’s also fair to wonder if he’ll even drop to them at this point. ESPN already has him in that range, obviously, while Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Terry slipping to the second round, both of which would make him available for the Lakers to select.

However, Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer says Terry is the eight-best prospect in the draft and projects him to go with the 19th pick, while Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report is predicting Terry will be taken with the 21st selection. Obviously the latter two would prevent the Lakers from even having a shot to grab the sweet-shooting 20-year-old who is breaking records on pre-draft IQ tests.

Our own SB Nation draft expert Ricky O’Donnell also predicted Terry to go 21st to the Philadelphia 76ers, and when reading his scouting report, it’s not hard to understand why Terry might be rising:

Terry entered Stanford as the No. 88 overall recruit in the incoming freshman class before emerging as a surprising one-and-done following a standout season. Terry is a 6’3 guard whose shooting ability will serve as the foundation of his game. He made nearly 41 percent of his three-pointers on almost five attempts per game, and showed some ability to shoot off movement. He also performed well as a pick-and-roll handler (77th percentile), but his lack of burst and inability to get to the foul line means he’s likely more of an off-ball player in the league. Philly needs all the shooting it can get, and Terry provides that with the hope of more untapped upside yet to come.

That sounds like a pretty solid player for today’s NBA, and also potentially an amazing weapon to have on a LeBron James-led team whose “point guards” don’t always get to handle the ball a ton when they play with a man who is arguably the best passer in NBA history. Given those qualities, it’s no surprise the Lakers (and Philadelphia, another team with a big, unconventional floor general) are being linked to Terry.

There is still about a week to go before the NBA Draft takes place on Nov. 18. Hold tight for plenty more rumors like this before then.

To see a round-up of all of SB Nation’s draft coverage, check out this slick new interactive page. For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Harrison on Twitter at @hmfaigen.