The 2018 NBA Draft is rapidly approaching, which means the Los Angeles Lakers and other teams are entering the final stages of their preparation and evaluations. The Lakers hold the Nos. 25 (first round) and 47 (second round) picks.
By virtue of not selecting until late in the first round, the Lakers have hosted a wide range of prospects at UCLA Health Training Center for pre-draft workouts. Unlike in previous years when they held a lottery pick, the direction the team might go in is anyone’s guess.
What appears to be of value and importance to the Lakers is a player’s ability to be versatile, stretch the floor and defensive-minded.
Tuesday’s group presents a mixture of that as NC State’s Abdul-Mailk Abu, Xavier’s Trevon Bluiett, Detroit’s Kameron Chatman, Baylor’s Manu Lecomte, Cal’s Marcus Lee and St. Bonaventure’s Matt Mobley become the latest prospects to audition.
All but Chapman entered the Draft after a senior season. The Lakers have shown a willingness to selected older players, and reaped the benefits of that strategy with Josh Hart and Kyle Kuzma.
Lee, who transferred to Cal after spending three years at Kentucky, joins a growing list of Pac-12 prospects the Lakers have gotten an in-person look at. Chatman also transferred, as he spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Michigan. And Lecomte is another, going from Miami to Baylor.
Bluiett was the best scorer of the bunch, averaging 19.3 points per game, plus 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He shot 43.7 percent from the field and 41.7 percent behind the arc.
Chatman averaged 17.8 points and 8.3 rebounds, while shooting 47.2 percent and making 41.4 percent of his 3-point attempts. Mobley also filled it up, to the tune of 18.1 points per game on 41.8 percent shooting.
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