With less than one month until the 2018 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers are welcoming another group of six prospects to UCLA Health Training Center. For both positive and negative reasons, Duke guard Grayson Allen is the most-recognizable name of Friday’s participants.
Along with Allen’s name previously surfacing as a Lakers pre-draft workout attendee, so too did Maryland’s Kevin Huerter and Northwestern’s Bryant McIntosh. NC State’s Allerik Freeman, Capo D’Orlando Arnoldas Kulboka and Mississauga Prep’s Matur Maker round out the six participants.
Allen rose up prospect rankings behind a strong performance at the NBA Draft Combine. Huerter is the next highest-rated prospect, but he’s yet to hire an agent and could return to Maryland for his junior season.
Both Allen and Huerter profile as capable 3-point shooters, which the Lakers sorely lacked this season. Armed with the 25th and 47th overall picks in this year’s draft, the team has cast a wide net thus far.
However, a common theme with the Lakers’ pre-draft workouts has been bringing in prospects with plenty of versatility. Upon going through the session, each that’s been made available to the media has remarked that the Lakers are stressing a defensive-minded approach.
They’ve also tested a player’s ability to fight through fatigue with the ‘Lakers Mentality Drill.’ Prospects are tasked with dribbling the length of the court, taking an array of shots and fetching their own rebounds for 90 seconds.
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