THE NBA Draft has wrapped up, and the next crop of players at the top level are now fully entrenched in their respective teams as the season approaches in the coming months.

In fact, with the Summer League kicking off earlier this week, the youngsters are now even hitting the court for the first time in an exciting injection of youth to the world’s biggest and best league.

Given the draft has concluded, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at how each side fared on one of the biggest nights on the basketball calendar.

Continuing down the order, it’s time to take a look at the Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers, a trio of teams that topped up at the draft for their current championship aspirations.

Utah Jazz

The 2022/23 NBA season showed that the Utah Jazz have one of the best young cores in the competition, and the recent Draft saw them make three selections inside the first round, further boosting these claims.

The Jazz kicked things off by selecting Taylor Hendricks with the ninth overall selection, a pick that was predicted by many given the tools he brings to the table. The forward is a perfect fit for the modern game, bringing rim protection, defensive versatility and spacing on the offensive end. Alongside Walker Kessler and Lauri Markkanen, the trio will form one of the biggest and most dangerous frontcourt in the competition.

With the 16th pick, the Jazz secured the services of Keyonte George, and it looks like he could be one of the best selections of the first round. George has caught fire as the team’s point guard in the NBA Summer League over the past week, posting 59 points, 17 assists and 11 three-pointers in his first two outings with the team. He looks to be a key piece of the team moving forward given his potential, and should see regular minutes early in the season.

With their third and final pick of the first round, the Jazz picked up Brice Sensabaugh at selection number 28. The combo forward might not be the tallest player to occupy the frontcourt, but his high level of skill makes him a magnificent offensive contributor who brings an excellent shooting motion. He will need to improve defensively before he becomes a complete player, but the blueprint is there.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings were one of the most actively trading teams on draft night, making a number of moves before and after their selections, but they did end up with two exciting prospects.

There were rumours they would be chasing Keegan Murray‘s brother Kris late in the first round, but he was selected by Portland just before Sacramento could pounce.

They traded for Colby Jones early in the second round, clearly eager on the combo guard’s size and scoring ability. Although he is not the most gifted athlete, Jones is an elite mid-range shooter, particularly off the dribble, and could become a reliable scorer in the future.

With the 54th pick in the draft, Sacramento picked up Jalen Slawson. Although he comes from a smaller school in Furman, the forward still caught the eye with his remarkable all-around game. He can impact the game in a variety of ways and on both ends of the court, and could be an immediate rotation player given his five years of college experience.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers went far deeper into the playoffs than expected, and showed they are still more than capable of contending for the title in the coming seasons.

They still had the 17th pick in the 2023 draft, and picked up Jalen Hood-Schifino with their sole first round selection. The guard can impact the game on both ends of the court, and is a capable facilitator to lead the team’s offence. Defensively, Hood-Schifino is more than capable of taking the opposition’s best player, and can stay in front consistently.

Los Angeles’ other acquisition of the night was Maxwell Lewis, who the Lakers acquired via trade. A strong shooter, the wing is the ideal 3-and-D target for Los Angeles, who will be looking to surround the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis with perimeter presence.