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Lakers GM explains why Lonzo and fellow rookies are like Taylor Swift

REUTERS/Cheryl Gerber / Action Images

How excited is Rob Pelinka about the potential of the Los Angeles Lakers' 2017 draft class that he saw in summer league?

"It's kind of like if you go on YouTube and you think about Taylor Swift when she was 16 years old (playing) her first song," the general manager explained on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Thursday. "It's her guitar, it's her in a little studio, and you watch it and you listen to it and you say, 'Wow, this is going to be a special thing to follow and a really cool narrative to unfold.'"

Pelinka sees some of that early T-Swift magic in this year's No. 2 pick, Lonzo Ball, as well as No. 27 pick Kyle Kuzma and No. 30 pick Josh Hart. If the Lakers' young core, including previous blue-chip prospects Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, can combine for as many All-Star appearances as Grammys Swift's won since breaking onto the scene a decade ago - 10 - Pelinka will be a happy man.

"I think it's going to be a really cool phenomenon to watch unfold, much like the trajectory of a young artist that develops," Pelinka said.

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