Draft Thread 2018: LA Has The #25 & #47 Overall Picks... And #39 Now

They've worked out a lot of kids that could fit in the 25th slot. Jacob Evans today, Shake Milton and Landry Shamet were once considered there, Omari Spellman, Moritz Wagner, Gary Trent, Anfernee Simons, Josh Okogie, and Kevin Huerter.

 

So scuttlebutt from the draft workout yesterday is that Evans's shot looks awful and I agree. In Evans's interview you can see how awful his jumper looks and he didn't really attack the Laker Mentality drill aggressively either. His defensive versatility and effort make him still an NBA prospect, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop into the second round if he can't shoot in these drills. In college he shot 37.7% from outside for his career and was even over 41% in his sophomore year so there's some evidence he can be effective even with an ugly shot, but you have to put your best foot forward in these drills.

Here's the interview with some shots of his jumper.



Meanwhile Wenyen Garbriel apparently turned a lot of heads with his shooting performance in the Laker Mentality drill. He's a smooth athlete in the open floor even if he's not a high flier. Something of an interesting player, could be someone we pick with that middle 2nd round pick.

 

Most of those guys are mocked in the 2nd now. Most of them at the time of the scheduled workouts were not. I've been tracking them all very closely. The only one who started and stayed in the 2nd of those players was Wagner.

It's very possible we trade back and I'd be okay with that. This draft is full of role player types. Many will fall to the 2nd in favor of late risers.

 

I disagree completely. The Lakers are one pick shy of a habit making picks in the late 1st that most project in the 2nd round. Kuzma and Nance were both considered reaches at the time. A fair amount of the players they are working out can be picked anywhere from 20-45 which fits easily within their pick range.

 

So @abeer3 posed the question about our workouts being geared toward the 2nd round which made me wonder if there was a list of workouts we've had thus far. This is the best I can find courtesy of Silver Screen and Roll. https://www.silverscreenandroll.com/2018/5/8/17315330/2018-nba-draft-rumors-lakers-workout-tracker

Keita Bates-Diop- projected mid-late 1st
Udoka Azubuike- projected undrafted
Jo Luol-Acuil Jr.- projected undrafted
Caleb Martin- projected undrafted
Rob Gray- projected undrafted
Jalen Hudson- projected undrafted
Mitchell Robinson (promised?)- projected mid-late 1st
De'Anthony Melton (interview)- projected late 1st
Devonte' Graham- projected 2nd
Landry Shamet- projected 2nd
Billy Preston- projected undrafted
Tony Carr- projected 2nd
Josh Okogie- projected late 1st/early 2nd
Johnathan Williams- projected undrafted
Wenyen Gabriel- projected undrafted
Theo Pinson- projected undrafted
Tra Holder- projected undrafted
Nick King- projected undrafted
Brian Bowen II- projected late 1st/early 2nd
Kevin Hervey- projected 2nd
Alize Johnson- projected late 2nd
Terry Larrier- projected undrafted
Thomas Wilder- projected undrafted
Jared Terrell- projected undrafted
Moritz Wagner- projected early 2nd
LiAngelo Ball- projected undrafted
Jaylen Adams- projected undrafted
Thomas Welsh- projected undrafted
Devon Hall- projected late 2nd
Tyus Battle- projected 2nd
Dusan Ristic- projected undrafted
Grayson Allen- projected late 1st/early 2nd
Kevin Huerter- projected mid-late 1st
Allerick Freeman- projected undrafted
Arnoldas Kulboka- projected undrafted
Matur Maker- projected undrafted
Bryant McIntosh- projected undrafted
Donte DiVincenzo (interview)- projected late 1st
Kostas Antetokounmpo- projected late 2nd
Gary Trent Jr.- projected late 1st/early 2nd
Omari Spellman- projecte late 1st/early 2nd
Jevon Carter- projected early 2nd
Elijah Bryant- projected undrafted
Trey Kell- projected undrafted
Shake Milton- projected 2nd
Chimezie Metu- projected 2nd
Anfernee Simons- projected mid-late 1st/early 2nd
Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk- projected late 2nd
William McDowell-White- projected undrafted
Khadeen Carrington- projected undrafted
William Lee- projected undrafted
Gyorgy Goloman- projected undrafted
Shamorie Ponds- projected undrafted
Jordan Caroline- projected undrafted
Drew Eubanks- projected undrafted
Jock Landale- projected undrafted
Daryl Macon- projected undrafted
Allonzo Trier- projected 2nd
Cody Martin- projected undrafted
DJ Hogg- projected undrafted
Lindell Wigginton- projected undrafted
Abudushalamu Abudurexiti- projected undrafted
Ethan Happ- went back to school (probably didn't get a guarantee)
Sedarick Barefield- projected undrafted
Hayden Dalton- projected undrafted
Marcus Foster- projected undrafted
Deng Adel- projected undrafted
Anas Mahmoud- projected undrafted
Jordan Barnett- projected undrafted
Obi Enechionyia- projected undrafted
Emmett Naar- projected undrafted
Barry Brown Jr.- projected undrafted
Fletcher Magee- projected undrafted
Gabe DeVoe- projected undrafted
Duncan Robinson- projected undrafted
Jordan Maclaughlin- projected undrafted
Gabe Levin- projected undrafted
Justin Bibbins- projected undrafted
Matt Ferrell- projected undrafted
Zach Lofton- projected undrafted
Justin Johnson- projected undrafted
Daxter Miles Jr.- projected undrafted
Tyler Nelson- projected undrafted
Marcus Derrickson- projected undrafted
Lonnie Walker- projected lottery (This was a secret workout. I'm shocked we even got the meeting to be honest. Walker is likely to be long gone by 25)

We're supposed to have a new batch tomorrow so we'll likely get a look at who today. Keep in mind, that Lonnie Walker workout was secret. There's a high probability they've had even more workouts behind closed doors, not announced to us.

As you can see though they've got:
13 names in the 1st or very early 2nd round
11 names in the 2nd round that'd be either perfect for our 47th or a big reach at 25
58 names that are either very, very late 2nds or undrafted players

I think the long list is mostly so they can try to find guys that slipped off the draft board who'd be great fits for the G-League/Summer League rosters. Guys like Billy Preston and Udoka Azubuike make a ton of sense in that regard. Zach Lofton, DJ Hogg, and Shamorie Ponds make a TON of sense as late adds and G-Leaguers.

 

Secret in that LA didnt announce it. I'm sure there's some politics about it from both sides. Walker looks worse if he's working out for low 1st teams. LA loses bargaining power if teams know who they're targetting if they move up.

Pelton threw our names out there for Doncic as well.

 

Just so you guys know who Lonnie Walker is in the instance we trade up for him (highly unlikely).






Clearly, the kid is one of the most athletic kids in the draft. He's a bright kid. I think there's some legitimate questions about his drive on the court (he averaged just 11.5 points per game as a freshman). He's not particularly efficient with splits just 41.5/34.6/73.8 so there's room to grow there. He's got tremendous tools and showed flashes of talent. He might be a bit more of a project than expected, but the kind of wing teams would love to nab late in the lottery.

 

Has great tools but can be inconsistent. He's still a young guy.

 

He's maybe the best defender in the draft and even though he's shorter, he's got an amazing wingspan. He can knock down shots a spacer.

He has very few ball skills though so no I don't think you could make him the PG. Between the two, Hart would be better suited and that's saying something since Hart is not a great PG by any stretch.

I'd still take him. Despite his height, Khyri profiles as a guy capable of guarding 1-3 at the next level.

 

You must be some kinda spin doctor over here.

There's bound to be plenty of talent after 25 in this draft, but I don't think there's any real evidence that the Lakers are planning to trade back. That list shows more that they're planning on scouring for diamonds that fall out of the draft than behind in the draft.

As for Khyri, he's not a non-passer, he's just not a point guard. He makes the right plays and the right passes sort of like Josh Hart, but he doesn't have backup PG potential like @Khmrp asked. He had a 1.56 assist to turnover ratio for his career in college.

edit-


Here's a solid draft video that shows you what he brings. He can't create for himself or others which is why his name is falling in the draft, but I love his active hands defensively. Sometimes he reminds me of Artest with those hands. It's something you rarely see these days.