After hosting Emmanuel Mudiay over the weekend, the Los Angeles Lakers continued to hold pre-draft workouts Monday. The team expected to bring in Ohio State guard D’Angelo Russell later in the day but invited a number of prospects earlier in the morning.
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Arizona’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was among the morning group and talked about his draft resume following the workout. According to the OC Register’s Bill Oram, Jefferson believes his body of work in Tucson speaks for itself and isn’t concerned with how other people view him:
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson at Lakers workout: “Men lie, women lie. Numbers don’t.”
— Bill Oram (@billoram) June 8, 2015
Jefferson spent two years at Arizona and averaged 10.2 points and 6.3 rebounds a game while playing 27.0 minutes. His biggest strength comes on the defensive end as he is commonly viewed as one of the top perimeter defenders available in the draft. During his college career, he averaged just under a steal and block each game.
The Lakers are in dire need of a wing defender and Jefferson would be a good option to address the hole. However, Jefferson is expected to be taken before the Lakers have their second pick at No. 27. Trading up is an option for the Lakers should the team really have their eye on Hollis-Jefferson.
With the draft just over two weeks away, the Lakers will continue to do their due diligence and workout prospects in preparation. In addition to the No. 2 and No. 27 picks, the Lakers also own No. 34. The team has just started to hold workouts for their top targets. After Russell’s workout Monday, Jahlil Okafor is expected to come in Tuesday for a private workout.
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