There were a lot of options on the board when the Lakers were on the clock with the #27 pick. Several of the players we looked at in our series of options to be selected with those late picks, in fact. But with the pick, the Lakers went in a direction no one saw coming by selecting Wyoming PF Larry Nance Jr.
From DraftExpress’ write up on Nance from after the combine:
In four years at Wyoming, Larry NanceJr. put together quite a resume. After fighting through mononucleosis in February and amidst his lifelong battle with Crohn’s Disease, Nance was awarded MWC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, along with being named to the All-MWC First Team and MWC All-Defensive Team.