NBA Draft 2021: Biggest needs for all 30 teams ahead of draft day

Los Angeles Lakers – No. 22

Biggest needs: Point guard, wing

Outside of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, everyone else on the Lakers could be gone via trade or free agency. There’s a better chance that Montrezl Harrell and Andre Drummond will be back in the frontcourt, while point guards Dennis Schröder and Alex Caruso would be moving on. Small forward Kyle Kuzma could be gone as well.

This is a team that was better from deep compared to when they won it all the year prior but they’ll need a capable shooter to play a certain role. It’s effectively the same list of guard contenders among the late-first round, with guys such as Jared Butler, Cam Thomas, Ayo Dosunmu, and Quentin Grimes as viable options. If they’re looking for a role player that can do a little bit of everything, Joel Ayayi of Gonzaga could work well.

Memphis Grizzlies – No. 17, 51

Biggest need: Center

Considering the injuries throughout the season, Memphis getting in as the 8 seed and seeing Ja Morant become a borderline superstar should make the franchise feel good. They also can return everyone back, as they all have at least one more year left on their contracts. While they don’t have an obvious need, the Grizzlies could look towards the future and giving themselves some options.

The backcourt is in solid shape but the frontcourt may look different, starting with center Jonas Valančiūnas. He’s been great since the trade from Toronto but the team has a ceiling with him. Day’Ron Sharpe, Kai Jones, and Isaiah Jackson are all options, as well as Trey Murphy and Chris Duarte if the goal is to add even more shooting to help out Morant.