Los Angeles Lakers: Dennis Smith discusses workout with team

2017 NBA Draft prospect Dennis Smith worked out for the Los Angeles Lakers over the weekend and discussed it afterward with the media.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy in recent days prepping for the 2017 NBA Draft. Los Angeles has held a number of workouts; some solo and some in groups of six. One of the players who participated in the group workout was North Carolina State point guard, Dennis Smith.

Smith had an outstanding freshman season with the Wolfpack. He averaged 18.1 points, 6.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Smith was by far the best player on an underwhelming NC State team, as he got the job done on both ends of the court.

In a solo workout, the drills he could do would have been limited. But, since he was in a group workout, Smith was able to showcase those skills in full. He did just that.

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Smith enjoyed the workout against other draft hopefuls. While he was the only player present that is a lock for the first round, he still enjoyed working out against other prospects.

"“You have guys coming out and competing; they want the same thing you want,” Smith Jr. said after his workout on Sunday at the Lakers’ practice facility. “That’s to be against the top get to compete against them. So you get to see who’s really a dog.”"

Smith was joined by Syracuse forward Tyler Lydon, Iowa State guard Matt Thomas, Georgia State forward Jeremy Hollowell, Loyola guard Milton Doyle, and Brazilian forward Wesley Alves Da Silva. Of those five prospects, Lydon is the only one that will probably hear his name called on draft day.

Based on that, it should be no surprise that Smith was the top performer in this workout. He is widely expected to go in the top-10; he isn’t under consideration for the Lakers at No. 2, but if they trade down they wanted to make sure they had a look at him.

Smith was asked about how he felt about the other top draft picks, such as point guards Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and De’Aaron Fox; all potential top-five picks. But, Smith said he was not concerned with where the other prospects would be selected.

"“No, sir,” he said. “Just myself. I don’t compare.”“My outlook is it was already written,” Smith Jr. said on his draft stock. “The Lord already knows I was going to get drafted at 1 or 29. He knew before I was born. I just do what I’m supposed to do. Everything will take care of itself.”"

That is a good mindset to have. Smith cannot control where he goes in the draft; he just has to handle himself well in workouts and see where the dominos fall.

In his Lakers workout, he showcased a lot of things that the team could use. One of those things was his ability to play in the pick-and-roll.

"“I checked one of the stats and they’re bottom 10 in almost everything relative to pick-and-roll scoring,” Smith Jr. said. “I think I can contribute to that.”"

Smith is a very gifted offensive player. He has athleticism rivaled by few players in this draft class. It enables him to penetrate a defensive well, as he can score at the rim or become a distributor. If Smith can improve as a shooter, he will become a more dangerous, well-rounded player.

Next: Full First Round 2017 NBA Mock Draft

Whoever lands Smith will be getting a point guard that plays both ends of the court. He played well at NC State with lackluster teammates around him. Putting a more talented roster around him could result in even better statistics.

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