2018 NBA Draft: Devonte’ Graham Among Prospects Scheduled For Lakers Pre-Draft Workout

Matthew Moreno
4 Min Read
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

With less than one month until the 2018 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers remain in full swing with pre-draft workouts. The next set of prospects to descend on UCLA Health Training Center is headlined by Devonte’ Graham of Kansas and Wichita State point guard Landry Shamet.

Also participating are former Jayhawks big man Billy Preston, Penn State guard Tony Carr, Georgia Tech’s Josh Okogie and Gonzaga forward Johnathan Williams. Shamet (40th), Preston (53rd), Okogie (59th), Graham (60th) and Carr (75th) are ranked top-100 NBA Draft prospects by Basketball Insiders.

Shamet is a combo guard who averaged 14.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game over his junior season. He career-bests 48.9 percent from the field and 44.2 percent behind the arc.

Preston was ranked the No. 11 prospect in the 2017 recruiting class but never played in a regular-season game for the Jayhawks. He was held out of the season opener because of missed curfew and class, then was the subject of a compliance investigation.

In January, Preston withdrew from Kansas to play professionally in Bosnia.

Okogie was one of six players in the Yellow Jacket history to score more than 1,000 points (1,033) before the end of their sophomore season. He averaged 18.2 points per game to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Okogie made the All-ACC freshman team and led the entire conference in free throws and free throw attempts.

Graham proved to be a proficient shooter from deep, knocking down at least 40 percent of his attempts in three of four collegiate seasons. He averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 assists per game in his senior campaign en route to earning consensus All-American honors.

After averaging 13.2 points per game on 37 percent shooting as a freshman, Carr increased those averages to 19.6 points and 40.8 percent shooting, respectively, as a sophomore. He also shot 43 percent from deep, earned First Team All-Big Ten and AP All-America honorable mention, and finished the regular season as the Big Ten scoring champ.

Williams appeared in all 37 games for the Bulldogs this past season, making 36 starts. He averaged 13.4 points, 8.5 rebounding and 1.1 blocks per game to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and rejections.

Williams earned Honorable Mention AP All-American, first team All-West Coast Conference, USBWA First Team All-District IX, NABC First Team All-District 9 honors, and was also named Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American.

As part of our efforts to help you understand how we handle the personal information you share with us, and in preparation for the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we’ve updated our Privacy & Cookies Policy. The updated Privacy & Cookies Policy will take effect on May 22, 2018. By using our services on or after that date, you’ll be agreeing to our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy. We recommend that you read our updated Privacy & Cookies Policy in full.

Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com