Lakers Draft Prospects: Skal Labissiere Breakdown

Breaking down possible Lakers pick and 2016 NBA Draft prospect Skal Labissiere

There’s no question that the 2016 NBA Draft is in the forefront of the minds of many Los Angeles Lakers fans and—at least hopefully—in the minds of the front office. At the midway point of the 2015-16 season, the Lakers have the second-best odds to get the number one pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, but are more so praying that the pick simply lands in the top three so that they keep the pick and aren’t forced to send it to the Philadelphia 76ers if it falls at No. 4 or below.

In Chad Ford’s Mock Draft 2.0 on ESPN (Insider), Ford has the Lakers picking at No. 2 and selecting Kentucky Wildcats freshman big man Skal Labissiere. Labissiere was one of the top prospects in the country in the 2015 high school recruiting class alongside LSU Tigers freshman Ben Simmons, but the two stand in stark contrast of one another in terms of their performance in their first seasons at the college level.

Simmons has thrived with the Tigers, but success has been much harder to come by for Labissiere in Lexington. Even still, the freshman is still widely regarded as one of the top draft prospects in the country and, considering that the Lakers could use a big man to put alongside Julius Randle in the rebuilding process, Labissiere could be in LA’s crosshairs.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at Labissiere as an NBA Draft prospect, breaking down his game, his makeup, and how he would fit with the Lakers as they try to return to their former glory in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s impending retirement.

Next: Physical Tools