NBA Draft: 3 players the Lakers should have drafted instead of Lonzo Ball

Heading into the 2017 NBA draft, Lonzo Ball was unanimously labelled as one of the most talented players in the draft class, and the point guard was subsequently taken by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick.

They drafted Ball as a replacement for D'Angelo Russell - who was traded away just days earlier, and Magic Johnson went as far as to describe Ball as the new face of the franchise.

However, fast forward two years and he has yet to prove his importance to the Lakers and his long-term future with the team is in serious doubt. Admittedly, the 21-year-old has shown plenty of promise, although when casting an eye over the 2017 draft class, the Lakers certainly had better options and here are three players Johnson should have taken ahead of Ball:

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#3 De'Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)

De'Aaron Fox has quickly established himself as the Sacramento Kings' main man

After Markelle Fultz was taken by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first pick of the draft, the two best playmakers remaining were Ball and De'Aaron Fox. Both had played just one season of college basketball, and while Fox was regarded as the better athlete, the Lakers selected Ball due to their belief that he was an all-around better player.

Fox was subsequently taken as the sixth pick by the Sacramento Kings, and while Ball has struggled for form and injuries, Fox has already started nearly 150 NBA games.

After a muted debut season, the 21-year-old has pushed on in his second year, averaging 17.5 points, 7.3 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game. Despite many doubts, Fox has also developed a shot from beyond the arc (37% accuracy), and the youngster has improved the defensive side of his game too.

#2 Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)

Jayson Tatum has been widely backed to become a future All-Star

Lonzo Ball is a much different player to Jayson Tatum, although the Lakers' decision to pass on Tatum in order to draft Ball with the No.2 pick has since been widely criticised.

While Ball has shown glimpses of promise during his 18 months in the NBA, Tatum has already earned First Team All-Rookie honours, while also playing a major role in helping the Boston Celtics to last season's Eastern Conference Finals.

Having been selected immediately after Ball, Tatum's progress has often been compared to Lonzo and as it stands, there are no doubts he is considerably ahead of the point-guard in terms of overall development. To make the situation even worse, Kobe Bryant has worked out with the Celtics forward, and it's hard to argue against the suggestion that Tatum would have been a perfect long-term replacement for the Lakers legend.

#1 Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)

Donovan Mitchell was the biggest steal of the 2017 NBA draft

Having been drafted with just the 13th pick of the 2017 NBA draft, the Lakers cannot be particularly criticised for their failure to spot Donovan Mitchell's potential. However, the 21-year-old is unquestionably the best player to come out of the 2017 class and a future superstar in the making.

He entered the draft after spending two years at Louisville and to the surprise of some, almost immediately found himself as an established starter in Utah. The young guard impressed throughout the regular season - averaging over 20 points per game, but his stock skyrocketed after almost single-handledly sending Russell Westbrook and the OKC Thunder packing from last year's playoffs in the first round.

In his second season to date, the point-guard has continued to improve his impact at both ends of the court and the Jazz are now looking to build their entire franchise around the young guard.