The Lakers are being pushed toward athletic wings and centers with just over a day left before the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. Rob Pelinka said at his exit interview that the Lakers needed lob threats and wings with athleticism, and that direction is shaping the No. 25 conversation.
That leaves the Lakers weighing fit over flash. The mock-draft cluster is built around athleticism, but the names tied to that idea are not interchangeable: some project as wing stoppers, some as vertical finishers, and some can do both if the health and development questions hold.
Pelinka and the No. 25 board
Pelinka’s exit-interview comment gave the clearest outline of the Lakers’ draft search. The target profile is narrow enough to matter: a player who can run, finish above the rim, and add size without slowing the group built around Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
That is why the mock drafts keep circling athletic wings and centers. The Lakers’ pick at No. 25 sits in the range where role fit can override louder upside swings, and the prospect pool being linked to them reflects that balance more than a search for a single star name.
Rob Pelinka maps the Lakers’ No. 25 plan around that same window, where the first-round board tends to thin and teams start choosing specific tools instead of broad upside.
Quaintance and the Lakers
Quaintance has moved closer to the Lakers over the last week. The Ringer described him as an All-Defense-level prospect on one end and the kind of powerhouse who can punctuate Luka pick-and-rolls 10 to 15 times a game on the other, and said he is more than worth the risk at pick no. 25.
That appeal comes with a catch. The same evaluation says life with Luka Doncic can be tricky for players with grand ideas about who they are, and Quaintance’s health has become the central concern after his injury recovery. Cameron Salerno also said Quaintance played in just four games at Kentucky last season.
Salerno added that the Lakers biggest need heading into the offseason should be finding a center, and said, "If Quaintance is still on the board, that should be the pick." That is a clean fit on paper, but it also shows why the board is still fluid: the Lakers can chase defense and vertical spacing, or they can lean harder into pure athleticism at a spot where every choice gives up something.
Luka Doncic wants an A-List center has already been part of the larger roster conversation, and the draft has become one more way to answer that need without spending elsewhere.
The next first-round pick will show whether the Lakers prioritize defense, shooting, or pure athleticism at No. 25. For now, the board points to one clear idea: the player they want has to fit around Doncic fast enough to matter from day one.
