The Los Angeles Lakers earned their 17th championship in franchise history and have the ability to get even better for the 2020-21 season.
Not only do the Lakers have salary cap space to add talent to their roster, but they also have their own first-round pick, No. 28 overall, to either select a young talent for the organization or potentially trade for another veteran after the fact.
With the draft just around the corner on Nov. 18, the Lakers’ front office and scouting department are currently hard at work evaluating prospects, which is tough to do with so many coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions in place.
According to Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN, one of the prospects they have already interviewed is BYU forward Yoeli Childs:
Lakers and Clippers interviewed second-round prospect Yoeli Childs according to a source. The 6-8 BYU power forward averaged 22.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 48.9% shooting from 3. He recorded a 38.5 vertical at the combine and was a Karl Malone power forward of the year finalist.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) November 2, 2020
Three-point shooting is one of the only areas the Lakers struggled in last season, so adding a big that can stretch the floor can be a solid use of the 28th overall pick.
Childs also attended college for four years so in theory could be able to come in and contribute at the NBA level right away instead of needing a couple of years to develop.
Lakers also interview College of Charleston point guard
In addition to Childs, JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors reported the Lakers interviewed College of Charleston point guard Grant Riller:
He has already interviewed with teams such as the Heat (No. 20), Sixers (No. 21), Nuggets (No. 22), and Lakers (No. 28) and Raptors (No. 29).
Riller also played four years of college ball and fills a different need for the Lakers as a guard that can score and get shots for others. In 31 games last season, he averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 49.9% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range.
The Lakers scouting staff has been among the best in the league finding players at the end of the first round that can be NBA rotation players, so the hope is that they will be able to do it again this year.
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