The Los Angeles Lakers held another pre-draft workout on Friday ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft where they hold the No. 17 and No. 47 picks. Similar to their workout held on Tuesday, this group included a majority of upperclassmen. Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, Kansas’ Jalen Wilson, North Carolina State’s Terquavion Smith, Loyola Marymount’s Cam Shelton, New Mexico’s Morris Udeze and France’s Nadir Hifi rounded out the group.
Tshiebwe is the most notable name, a 6-foot-9 forward who averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds last season with the Wildcats. As a junior at Kentucky, he averaged 17 points and 15 rebounds per game, being named SEC Player of the Year and the consensus National Player of the Year. Tshiebwe is an undersized, high-energy forward who can lead small ball lineups, a similar role Wenyen Gabriel found himself in last season for L.A. He’s a monster on the boards, grabbing 28 rebounds in one game as a junior.
Wilson is a 6-foot-8 scoring forward who consistently dropped 20 points per game last season and was unanimously named Big-12 Player of the Year. He led the conference in points and rebounds per game and double-doubles. He’s a 33% shooter from deep with the potential to turn into a strong 3-point shooting wing.
Smith is among the younger players the Lakers have worked out so far. He averaged 17.9 points per game last season while shooting 33% from deep. His 96 3-pointers during his freshman season were the fourth most by a freshman in ACC history. Smith is an explosive scorer, but struggles with efficiency — he shot 38% from the field last season.
Shelton is a five-year college player who averaged 21 points per game for LMU last season. He’s an undersized guard at 6-foot-2, but still shot nearly 50% from the field and 37.9% from deep for the Lions last year. He also dropped 27 points in an upset win over No. 6 Gonzaga.
Udeze is another five-year player who transferred from Wichita State to New Mexico last season. He spent one year with New Mexico, averaging 16 points and nine rebounds per game. At 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, he has the build for a small ball center who can lead lineups off the bench. Udeze is a solid force in the paint and a strong rebounder.
Hifi is an overseas player who has already played three seasons in the French league’s Jeep Elite and LNB Espoirs, two of the top leagues in France. He averaged 16 points per game last season on 46% shooting from the field and 34% from deep. He’s a 20-year-old 6-foot-3 guard.
Many of the players the Lakers worked out on Friday are projected to go in the second round. Tshiebwe and Wilson are the headliners who are intriguing prospects for the Lakers to consider late in the draft. Drafted or not, the Lakers could use some of these players to round out their summer league roster.
Suns hiring Frank Vogel as head coach
Former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel sat out the entire season after being fired in April 2022. Vogel won a championship with the purple and gold in 2020. Now, Vogel’s reportedly found his next job, coaching Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with the Phoenix Suns.
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