TonyTheTiger, Wikimedia
Darius Morris no doubt had dreams of being a first-round selection in the 2011 NBA Draft when he decided to leave Michigan after his sophomore season. He may not complain too much about landing with the Lakers in the second round.
Morris, a Los Angeles native, was the Lakers’ first pick of the draft. He was the 10th listed point guard off the board, going seven picks after Washington selected Butler PG Shelvin Mack.
Leading up to the draft, Morris was projected as high as No. 14 to the Houston Rockets. However, there was an early run on point guards — including Detroit’s pick of Brandon Knight at No. 8 — and Morris slid into Round 2.
Second-round picks are not guaranteed contracts, so Morris will have to earn a spot on the Lakers’ roster. That fact will no doubt keep alive the discussion over whether or not Morris should have returned to Ann Arbor for his junior season — some NBA experts believed Morris, who made huge strides between his freshman and sophomore years, could have been a lottery pick in the 2012 draft.
Instead, he’ll have to settle for heading back to L.A., to join Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
