The Los Angeles Lakers will be one of the teams to watch during the 2024 NBA Draft. The Lakers have the 17th pick in the draft and could go in a myriad of directions with it. The Lakers could trade the pick or stand pat. If the Lakers choose the latter, the best options for the Lakers with the 17th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft include Ron Holland II, DaRon Holmes II, and Yves Missi.

Potential Ron Holland II draft day slide?

It's hard to get a proper gauge on Ron Holland II's stock before the 2024 NBA Draft. He was the number two high school recruit in his class and was a popular candidate to go number one before the 2023-24 season. But he's all over the place in mock drafts. He fell to the Sacramento Kings in the latest mock draft by ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo and all the way to the Lakers at 17 in Yahoo!'s most recent mock.

The fit with Holland and the Lakers would be tricky but it's a pairing Los Angeles should not pass on if given the chance. The Lakers badly need reinforcements on the wing defensively and Holland provides plenty of it.

He can also score the ball well. Holland averaged 22 points per-36 minutes in the G League with a true shooting percentage of 57.9% in the regular season. He also posted a solid 15.6% assist percentage to go with an 11% rebound percentage, which is around or above league average. Holland can do a bit of everything.

He can do a bit of everything with the exception of shooting from deep. He shot below 30% in his lone season in the G League which could be the reason why his draft stock has been tempered. But, he did shoot 75.7% from the free throw line, which has been a better indicator for future success as a shooter than three-point percentage.

Players as talented as Holland do not become available with the 17th overall selection very frequently. The Lakers could've taken someone like him with the 17th pick last year in Cam Whitmore, but opted against it. They can't make that same mistake again. Holland would be great with LA.

A stretch five

The ideal pairing next to Anthony Davis in the frontcourt is a center who can protect the rim and stretch the floor. Enter Dayton's DaRon Holmes II. Holmes II was excellent in his three seasons with the Flyers but especially so last year. He averaged a career-best 25.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per-40 minutes with a 62.7% true shooting percentage and and 58.4% effective field goal percentage.

He has a similar play style to a Myles Turner or a current version of Al Horford. The Lakers need just about everything those two provide their respective teams, so that should be music to their ears. They have been lacking a solid backup center for the last three seasons and have never featured a true stretch five next to Anthony Davis since he got there.

Holmes fixes all of those problems. He can shine in big lineups with Davis and LeBron James and can hold down the fort when Davis needs a breather. Holmes isn't the flashiest name, but there aren't many players who would fit the Lakers' roster better than he can with the 17th pick.

An athletic rim runner

If the Lakers don't go with Holmes, another option at center with the 17th pick would be Baylor's Yves Missi. Missi is a completely different style of player than Holmes. He's more of a Clint Capela, Daniel Gafford type of rim runner who can sky for alley-oops and blocked shots.

It would be harder for the Lakers to play him next to Davis, but at the very least, he can become their backup center. Missi plays super hard and is a handful for teams to deal with on the glass. His motor would really shine with backup units for Los Angeles. He'd be a tremendous fit with the 17th pick for the Lakers as well.