NBA Draft 2019: Best and worst fits for all potential lottery picks

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils looks on against the Michigan State Spartans in the East Regional game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 31, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 31: Keldon Johnson #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats dunks the ball against the Auburn Tigers during the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at Sprint Center on March 31, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

15. Keldon Johnson, 6-6 G/F, Kentucky

BEST: Boston Celtics

Kentucky’s five-star wing is another player who’s unlikely to climb this high on draft night; realistically, he’ll be picked somewhere in the late teens or early/mid-twenties, with a team selecting him solely with the expectation that he’ll be molded into a solid wing option off the bench.

If a team was to fall in love with him at the backend of the lottery, the Celtics wouldn’t be a bad fit for the 6-6 gritty forward who profiles as a complementary offensive piece and a high-effort defender. They could use another wing on the roster for the sake of depth, and with several players already holding prominent spots in the rotation, it would remove any high expectations for the 19-year-old. He’d be able to learn from a bright head coach and a pair of two other young wings (Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum), which could prove beneficial for someone like Johnson.

WORST: Los Angeles Lakers

Similar to the reasoning for Kezie Okpala’s imperfect fit with LA, Johnson’s troublesome fit with the Lakers comes down to his shooting. Johnson shot 38.1 percent from beyond the arc over 37 games as a freshman, which is fine. But as the season wore on, fans saw inconsistency plague the young wing over the second half of his freshman campaign — after shooting 42.5 percent (31/73) in his first 21 games, his average plummeted to just 31.1 percent (14/45) through the season’s final 16 games.

Quite the drop-off, even more discouraging when his average free throw percentage (70.3%) and full track record (he wasn’t known as a real shooter in high school) is considered. It’s unlikely that LA would want to draft someone who won’t contribute in a meaningful area right away, not when LeBron James demands excellence and nothing short of a championship-contending roster. If the Lakers are looking for a shooter with their lottery pick, they should look elsewhere; if they’re looking for someone merely to use as trade bait, then they should look elsewhere, too.

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