Los Angeles Lakers start draft workouts with six players

Louisville Forward, Deng Adel

Deng Adel entered the 2018 NBA Draft as an early entrant after his junior year. He could have returned to Louisville, but decided to hire an agent and will remain in the draft.

Deng had a solid season for the Cardinals in 2017-18 despite everything that went on at the university. He averaged 15 points per game, which led the team. He added 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Deng is a good scorer but has to improve the consistency on his jump shot. He knocked down 35 percent of his 3-point shots last season and was a 34.8 percent shooter in his career. Consistency is good, but you’d have liked to see that number go up during his time at Louisville.

Consistency is key for Adel. His game is a little rough around the edges, but the potential is there for him to develop. At 6’7″, he is a fit for the modern NBA as he can play multiple positions. If he can add some size and strength, he could become a versatile defender as well as he has the athleticism to keep up with people on the perimeter, but lacks the size to bang down low.

That defensive potential is what NBA teams will like. While they can help someone tweak a jump shot, teams cannot teach size. Deng has the size, it is just a matter of a team putting in the work to help him develop and realize his potential.