After earning Pac-12 First Team honors and helping lead the University of Arizona to a conference championship and berth in the NCCA Tournament, Allonzo Trier declared for the 2018 NBA Draft.
It came on the heals of the No. 4 Wildcats suffering a stunning loss to No. 13 Buffalo in the first round, providing an early example of ‘March Madness.’ While the season ended in disappointment for Arizona, the 2017-18 campaign was a success for Trier on a personal level.
He was one of three players to finish the regular season shooting at least 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from deep and 85 percent from deep. Though, Trier also suspended indefinitely for traces of a banned substance appearing during a drug screening.
It was determined to be the remnants of Trier unknowingly ingesting the substance in 2016, which led to an initial suspension.
The matter was the furthest thing from Trier’s mind on Wednesday, when he was among the six prospects the Los Angeles Lakers hosted for a pre-draft workout. Living up to his reputation, Trier arguably had the best shooting performance during the portion of the workout the media was permitted to observe.
He fits the mold of a guard the Lakers may look to select in the 2018 Draft as a means of finding a backup and/or complement to Lonzo Ball.