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NBA Draft 2016: 5 Best Fits for Lakers at No. 32

By Stephen Ontiveros

Feb 16, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center A.J. Hammons (20) smiles after a foul in the second half of the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Mackey Arena. Purdue won 71-61. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2016; West Lafayette, IN, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center A.J. Hammons (20) smiles after a foul in the second half of the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Mackey Arena. Purdue won 71-61. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 24, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Diamond Stone (33) drives to the basket agsint Kansas Jayhawks forward Landen Lucas (33) during the first half in a semifinal game in the South regional of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Diamond Stone (33) drives to the basket agsint Kansas Jayhawks forward Landen Lucas (33) during the first half in a semifinal game in the South regional of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

Diamond Stone – Center, Maryland

The 19-year-old Diamond Stone is an interesting and intriguing prospect for the Lakers, if he is still even on the board by the time the 32nd pick rolls around, that is. Standing at only 6-9 as a center, Stone more than compensates for his height with his 7’3” wingspan and filled out frame as he weighed in at a strong 254 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine. 

As a freshman, he averaged 22.8 points per game to go along with his 10.2 rebounds per game. Stone is a great option on offense as he already has a stellar array of post moves and showed an ability to shoot the ball from midrange, albeit with a small sample size. Scouts are concerned, however, about his inability to shoot over or get around taller defenders in addition to his tendency to hold on to the ball too long and take a forced shot rather than passing to an open teammate. That’s certainly not a trait for a big man that fits ideally into the offense Luke Walton would like to run. 

Next: NBA Draft 2016: Ranking the Top 100 Prospects

Despite these concerns, Stone only  turned 19 in February, making him one of the younger players in his class and still has plenty of time to become an important player on an NBA squad.

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