The 2017 NBA Draft is only days away with teams around the league scrambling to get as much information as they can on prospects expected to go in the first and second rounds on June 22.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been evaluating talent for months with the team bringing in multiple players they’re considering with the No. 2 pick, and the next up appears to be Duke product, Jayson Tatum.
According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Tatum is working on scheduling a workout with Los Angeles:
Additionally, the Lakers are working toward finalizing a first workout with Jayson Tatum this
weekend.
On Thursday, the Lakers brought in Washington Huskies star Markelle Fultz, who is expected to go No. 1 overall, for his first workout with the team. UCLA’s Lonzo Ball showcased his skills for the team last week, and both De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky) and Josh Jackson (Kansas) had their turn at the Lakers practice facility earlier this week.
At this point, Fultz and Ball are projected to be the first two names off the board in next week’s draft while Jackson, Fox, and Tatum could end up anywhere between No. 3 and 5, or lower.
Tatum seems to be the forgotten man out of this group of top-tier talent coming out of college. Although Tatum put on an impressive display over the course of his time under head coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, the 19-year-old could end up being the last of the five players mentioned to be drafted on June 22.
Naturally, Tatum can change the narrative with a strong performance in his workout with the Lakers and will try to do so once or if it is officially scheduled over the weekend.
Tatum, much like Jackson, is a small forward which is not a position of need for the Lakers after they drafted fellow Blue Devil Brandon Ingram last summer. Despite that fact, the team still appears to want to get a look at the offensive-minded forward out of Duke.