The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of options with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They could trade the pick as part of a package for a star. Or, they try to find a sleeper who can contribute to the team right away. They've found a number of gems late in the past and could do so again this year.

Three sneaky players who qualify and could be available for the Lakers with the 17th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft include Tristan da Silva, DaRon Holmes II, and Kevin McCullar Jr.

Adding another forward in Tristan da Silva

There aren't many players in this year's draft who are more ready to make an immediate impact in the NBA than Colorado's Tristan da Silva. Cody Williams stole most of the headlines in Boulder, and rightfully so. But, da Silva's consistent and solid play throughout the year made the most impact for the Buffaloes.

da Silva's offensive game allows him to project to be a solid fit just about anywhere in the league. He can stretch the floor and bully smaller defenders in the post at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds. In addition to that, he can defend wings on the perimeter or bang with bigger players in the post. da Silva brings a ton of versatility to whatever team drafts him.

The Lakers would be wise to take advantage of that if he's available to them in the draft at 17. Many of the frontcourt players on their roster not named LeBron James or Anthony Davis are one-dimensional. Rui Hachimura struggled mightily defensively against Michael Porter Jr. in the playoffs. Jarred Vanderbilt was hurt but got played off the floor because of his shooting limitations against Denver last year.

Taurean Prince could not contain shifty wings or guard off the dribble either. Defending in space isn't da Silva's strong suit either but it is something he can do. Asking him to carve out a PJ Washington-like role isn't very outlandish and well within his range of outcomes. He can do that with the Lakers and thrive in that role.

Bolstering Lakers frontcourt with DaRon Holmes II

The ideal frontcourt archetype to pair with Davis in Los Angeles would be a stretch five. It doesn't seem like a coincidence that five of the six best offenses in the regular season featured a center who shot at least 35.8% from three. One of those centers was Myles Turner in Indiana, who the Lakers tried to acquire in a trade a couple of years ago.

They missed out on Turner then but could strike gold on a player who plays like him in Dayton's DaRon Holmes II. Holmes has shined as the hub of the Flyers' offense the last couple of years. He really stepped his game up during the 2023-24 season. Holmes shot a career-best 38.6% from three. His 25.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per 40 minutes were also the best marks he posted as a college player.

Holmes is also a solid rim protector. His 7.5% career block percentage is above average. He and Davis could form a tremendous frontcourt pairing that can become a major problem for opposing teams on both ends of the floor. Holmes would be a tremendous pick for the Lakers.

Another NBA-ready wing

Kevin McCullar Jr. is another player who is already ready to make an impact in the NBA. McCullar Jr. improved a lot during his final season of college basketball with the Kansas Jayhawks. He averaged a career-high 18.3 points and 4.1 assists per game this past season. He never exceeded 11 points per game in any of his four prior college seasons.

McCullar already had stout defense and experience to hang his hat on, but the added contributions he made offensively should make him a great target for teams like the Lakers to target in the draft. He will help whatever team drafts him.