When March Madness rolls around, one of the best parts of the tournament is seeing upsets and underdog teams make it farther than anticipated. This year featured NC State and DJ Burns overachieving as they were an 11th seed that made it all the way to the Final Four.
Unfortunately, NC State lost to No. 1 seed Purdue 63-53, but it was a great run nonetheless and Burns played a huge factor in taking the Wolfpack that far. While only 6’9″, he weighed 275 pounds and became a bruiser all tournament long, notably against Oakland and Duke.
Now, Burns has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft and is going through his pre-draft workouts. However, an interesting wrinkle that came up is that he has lost 45 pounds since the NCAA Tournament. Nonetheless, the Los Angeles Lakers could be among the teams with interest in Burns as they brought him in for a workout, via R. Cory Smith of Pack Pride:
NC State big man DJ Burns Jr. didn’t get an invite to the NBA Draft Combine, but he hasn’t let that stop him from putting in work. The former Wolfpack star confirmed with Pack Pride earlier this week that he flew out for a pre-draft workout with the Lakers as one of several trips he plans to make prior to the 2024 NBA Draft.
L.A. is all about finding diamonds in the rough and perhaps Burns could fall under that umbrella. He could potentially fill a need for the Lakers as a backup big man.
While Burns is an undersized center, he is a physical player down low and could garner some interest later in the draft. In terms of fit, it could be plausible, but it may be hard to envision him providing significant minutes right away should he get drafted by L.A.
Regardless, a top priority of this free agency for the Lakers is to find a stalky, big-body backup center that can buy Anthony Davis 10-15 minutes a night. Should general manager Rob Pelinka come up dry on signings, Burns could become an interesting prospect and someone worth developing for the future.
LeBron James & Anthony Davis in attendance as Bronny James shines at Klutch Pro Day
It seems the Lakers practice facility is becoming active as of late with some pre-draft workouts and now hosting a Klutch Sports Pro Day. This featured Bronny James and other Klutch clients showcasing their skills with LeBron James and Anthony Davis notably in attendance.
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