Los Angeles Lakers work out pair of intriguing prospects

Two 2018 NBA Draft prospects the Los Angeles Lakers previously worked out are great fits for their current roster.

Teams throughout the NBA have different strategies and philosophies in terms of their approach to the draft. Some franchises opt for best player available, while others come into draft night with a plan to fill holes on their roster or align with their style of play.

The Los Angeles Lakers executed a nice blend of these different approaches with last year’s first round selections of Kyle Kuzma (No. 27) and Josh Hart (No. 30). The Lakers were undergoing a turnover within their roster during this time, but they needed an infusion of athleticism in the frontcourt and defense on the perimeter without reaching, which is exactly what Kuzma and Hart brought to the table (although they’ve proven to be great value at this juncture).

Fast forward to the 2018 NBA Draft, which is just over a month away, and the Lakers are in a much stronger position with a roster that contains depth and balance across the board with each player fitting their role within the system Luke Walton and his coaching staff have implemented. Before free agency and trades rumors are in full swing, the Los Angeles Lakers still have some areas of improvement that their No. 25 overall pick could address if they choose to stay there.

Even if the team opts to bring back free agent Brook Lopez, finding an athletic big man that can provide some energy and switch on defense is a good idea. Outside of frontcourt reinforcements, finding a shot creator that can play on or off the ball to bolster the backcourt behind Lonzo Ball and Hart should be part of their draft strategy.

Considering their roster construct and draft position, I started looking at what players could be available that fit the Lakers’ needs. Two that stood out to me were guard Shake Milton from SMU and Chimezie Metu, a big man from USC, both of whom just so happened to work out for the Lakers on May 9.

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I’m not going to dive into them as draft prospects in this piece and will probably wait until the we’re closer to draft night to profile them, but I have pegged these two for a month now as fits the Lakers should target given their experience and skill-sets that align with the team.

Milton is a three-year starter at SMU, and is coming off his best season in college with averages of 18.0 points (44.9 percent from the field), 4.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. His role increased his junior year, but his efficiency didn’t suffer. He’s a large guard at 6’6” and 205 pounds who can play some defense and is a strong outside shooter, knocking down 43.4 percent of his 3-point attempts this season. His ability to play on or off ball makes him a strong fit for the Lakers’ system.

Metu is a local L.A. kid that grew up a Lakers fan, and said working out for the team was a “crazy” experience. The junior from USC is not the most polished offensive player, but he’s a strong athlete that has improved his jump shot each season, averaging 15.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game basis this year.

His athleticism would provide the Lakers with a rim-runner that they’ve lacked for a couple seasons. His shot -blocking production on the other end (over a block per game all three seasons at USC) would help the Lakers’ rim protection problems they’ve had for years as well. Metu is an intriguing prospect that I am excited to profile in the future, and one that checks a lot of boxes for the Lakers.

With Los Angeles working out two of my favorite prospects in terms of fit within the team and chances of availability when the team is on the clock, I just wanted to take this article to shed light on their potential of being selected by the team.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

Milton and Metu are experienced players that showed improvements in each season at their respective colleges. This trajectory makes them good bets to improve as they get further into their careers, and they are names to monitor in the pre-draft process.

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