Los Angeles Lakers start draft workouts with six players

The Los Angeles Lakers began their pre-draft workouts this week. We break down and provide some analysis for the first six players that had a workout.

The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they would be quiet in the 2018 NBA Draft. Thanks to the Steve Nash trade in 2012, the Lakers do not own their first-round pick this year. The pick will be relayed over to either the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers depending on where it lands.

However, much like they did last year, the Lakers were able to acquire a draft pick near the trade deadline. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka acquired the Cleveland Cavaliers first round pick, along with Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye. In exchange, Los Angeles sent Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland.

This was an excellent deal for Los Angeles. Not only did they land a selection that gets them back into the first round, they cleared cap space as well getting Clarkson’s contract off the books.

While the Cavaliers pick isn’t in the lottery, like the Lakers’ selection will be, Los Angeles has done well drafting later in the first round. The Lakers will be on the clock with the 25th pick in the draft.

While we are still about seven weeks away from the draft, and the NBA Playoffs are in full form, the Lakers are preparing for the draft. This week, they held their first draft workouts of the season.

Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet shared that the Lakers worked out six players. Louisville’s Deng Adel and Anas Mahmoud, Utah’s Sedrick Barefield, Wyoming’s Hayden Dalton, Creighton’s Marcus Foster and Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ.

In addition to the No. 25 pick, the Lakers also have the No. 47 overall pick. The Lakers will once again be looking to add some youthful talent to the roster, something they successfully did in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Could one of the players the team worked out this week be a future Laker? We will have to wait and see! Until then, let’s take a closer work at the first round of draft prospect workouts that the Lakers held.

Utah PG Sedrick Barefield

Sedrick Barefield is a junior from Utah that began his collegiate career at SMU. He transferred from SMU after his freshman season, landing with the Utes.

Barefield is taking full advantage of the NBA’s new pre-draft process. With a later declaration date, and the ability to not hire an agent, players are provided a chance to go through the pre-draft process but still return to college. That is the likeliest route for Barefield. He will go through workouts and get a feel for things, but return to Utah.

Barefield averaged 12 points, 2.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 29.2 minutes per game last season for Larry Krystkowiak. He played in 32 games, starting 24 of them.

Barefield’s shooting percentage dropped from his sophomore season when he knocked down 39.3 percent of his 3-pointers. This season he knocked down 35.4 percent. However, he did improve his free throw shooting from 73.7 percent to 84.7 percent.

Barefield is set to take over a bigger role in the Utes’ backcourt in 2018-19 as Justin Bibbins collegiate career will come to an end. Barefield did end the season on a high note, making the NIT’s All-Tournament Team after helping get Utah to the championship game.

Wyoming Forward, Hayden Dalton

Hayden Dalton is a name to keep an eye on throughout the draft process. He is someone that burst onto the scene during the 2017-18 season, putting his name squarely in the conversation with NBA scouts.

According to Dalton’s agent, Justin Haynes, there is a lot of interest in Dalton. He will be participating in workouts throughout the pre-draft process. This is a great opportunity for Dalton, someone who has flown under the radar at Wyoming.

The casual fan may not know who he is, but they will learn about him soon enough. Dalton was on the Mountain West First Team from the media and second team picked by the coaches. The recognition was well deserved, as Dalton averaged 17.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Dalton has shown an improved jump shot during his college career, something NBA teams will like seeing. In his first season at Wyoming, Dalton made only 30.3 percent of his 3-point shots. In his senior season, he knocked down 40.3 percent.

Wyoming isn’t a hotbed for basketball, but the Lakers have found success there once already with Larry Nance Jr. in 2015.

Creighton PG, Marcus Foster

Marcus Foster would fall under the tweener category. He is listed at 6’3″, which makes him a shooting guard in a point guard’s body. That shouldn’t be too big of a deterrent, as there have been plenty of successful combo guards in the NBA.

If there is one thing that Foster does well it is scoring the ball. Between his time at Kansas State and Creighton, the least points per game he averaged was 12.5. In his final collegiate season at Creighton, he poured in 19.8 points per game.

Foster can score the ball from virtually anywhere on the court. He knocked down 37.6 percent of his 3-point attempts, 44.6 percent from the floor overall and 72 percent from the foul line. Foster is an above average athlete and has good ball handling skills, which will help.

However, Foster does need to improve his playmaking and passing. While he can fill it up in a hurry, it would do him some good to improve his ability to run an offense. It would help him get some more playing time as his athleticism helps him overcome his size defensively.

Foster has a chance to sneak into the second round based on his scoring prowess. If he can develop his point guard skills, he could turn out to be a solid guard in a rotation for an NBA team.

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.

Louisville Center, Anas Mahmoud

Anas Mahmoud was teammates with Deng Adel at Louisville. The university was riled in scandals, but he was able to still have a solid season on the court.

The senior will be intriguing to NBA teams because of his presence defensively. At 7-feet tall and with long arms, he is a great shot blocker. He averaged 2.9 blocks per game in his senior season. He is pretty mobile for a center as well, which helps him patrol the paint.

However, he needs to add some size and strength. Despite being 7-feet tall, Mahmoud weighs only 215 pounds. That is something that will have to go up otherwise he will get manhandled in the paint. He isn’t a great rebounder for his size, averaging only 5.0 per game, which was third on the team last season. Adding strength and muscle will help in that area as well.

Offensively he is extremely raw. He averaged 6.8 points per game. That is a number that improved each season he was at Louisville, which is nice to see. He needs to develop a go-to move to at least make opposing defenses keep an eye on him.

While Mahmoud is far from a finished product, there is a lot to like here. He has a good motor and already has an elite skill as a shot blocker. If he can develop anything offensively, he has a good shot to stick in the NBA.

Wisconsin Center, Ethan Happ

Like Barefield, Ethan Happ didn’t hire an agent yet, so he can return to school. There is a chance that he returns to Wisconsin for his senior season. However, there may not be much more he can do at Wisconsin to improve his stock.

Happ did everything for Wisconsin this season. He was their only option offensively as injuries decimated their backcourt. The Badgers offense was literally Happ. He led the team in points and assists, averaging 17.9 and 3.7 per game.

Those were not the only stats he led the team in, as he was also the leading rebounder and led Wisconsin in steals and blocks per game. Happ grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game with 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks.

Happ is a throwback player as he has all the moves in the low post. He is a good finisher around the basket and has a knack for making plays for himself or teammates. If he is not in the low post, things could get ugly quickly.

Happ is a horrible free throw shooter, making 56.4 percent in his career. He has no range offensively, as he is 1-for-11 in his career from the 3-point line. That is something that will have to change if he hopes to have a career in the NBA. Happ also isn’t a great athlete, so there are some red flags for him succeeding at the next level.

However, Happ will help a team in the halfcourt. You can throw the ball into him and he can get you a bucket. He has a high basketball IQ, which helps overcome some of his limitations athletically.

Next: Lakers 10 Greatest Draft Picks of All-Time

Happ could develop into a useful NBA player if he lands in the right situation.