The NBA Draft is just over a week away and the Los Angeles Lakers are getting in as many workouts as possible as they narrow down the players they hope to pick with the 25th and 47th overall picks. On Wednesday, they bring in a new crop of players, headlined by Rawle Alkins of Arizona and Angel Delgado of Seton Hall.
Joining Delgado and Alkins are Oklahoma State’s Jeffrey Carroll, Butler’s Kelan Martin, UNLV’s Brandon McCoy and Oakland’s Kendrick Nunn.
Alkins, an explosive guard who played with likely first-overall pick Deandre Ayton last season at Arizona, could be an interesting candidate for a Lakers team that could be losing free agent shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Alkins scored 13.1 points per game last season while shooting 36 percent from deep and averaging 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks. He is currently projected to be selected with the 43rd pick in the draft by ESPN.
Delgado, on the other hand, is a big man who took home the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award during his senior season. Delgado averaged 13.6 points and 11.8 rebounds, leading the Big East in the latter category.
He is a solid passer for his size, which could make him an intriguing fit for a Lakers team that preaches ball movement.
Carroll will give Alkins some competition at guard in the workout, and at 6’6″ he has the size necessary to match up. Carroll averaged two made threes per game last season but his efficiency leaves something to be desired at just 33 percent.
Still, the senior shot 44 percent from three in his junior season, so he may be worth a look. Martin will also match up against Carroll and Alkins on the wing. He was on the First Team All-Big East last season while scoring the conferences second-most points at 21.2 per game.
McCoy, a freshman, will battle Delgado in the paint. He grabbed 10.3 boards per game last season while blocking 1.8 shots. He doesn’t have Delgado’s pedigree, but perhaps the Lakers can mold him into something.
Finally, Nunn doesn’t quite have the size of Carroll or Alkins, but he did score 25.9 points per game while grabbing 4.7 boards and dishing 3.8 assists on his way to being the Horizon League Player of the Year. He shot 39 percent from three, though he wasn’t exactly playing against the best competition.
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