Recent Los Angeles Lakers rumors involve the 2018 NBA Draft, as the team has reportedly made a promise to center Mitchell Robinson.
Los Angeles Lakers rumors are beginning to pick up with the pre-draft process fully underway. The biggest showcase for NBA hopefuls came this past week at the NBA Combine. There was plenty of talent on display, and some Lakers rumors emerged.
It raised some eyebrows when prospect Mitchell Robinson wasn’t partaking in the workouts. Robinson didn’t play this past season in college, deciding to not attend Western Kentucky to focus on his NBA Draft preparations.
That made his decision to not partake in pre-draft activities head scratching. After not playing in games for over a year, you would think that Robinson would want to showcase his talents against other top prospects in this year’s draft class. However, it sounds like Robinson doesn’t need to workout at all, as he has received a promise from a team in the first round.
According to Aran Smith of NBADraft.net, that team that made the promise to Robinson is the Lakers. Smith projects the Lakers to select Robinson with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
"“The second rumored promise that we have heard coming out of the Chicago predraft camp is that the Lakers have promised Mitchell Robinson, which could explain his decision not to participate in predraft activities,” Smith wrote."
The other prospect that has reportedly received a promise is Chandler Hutchinson, a forward from Boise State. Smith reports that Hutchinson’s promise came from the Chicago Bulls, who own the No. 22 selection in the draft.
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Now, this does not necessarily mean Robinson and Hutchinson will go to the Lakers and Bulls, respectively. Instead, it guarantees where their floor is. They could be selected by a team earlier in the draft.
In Robinson, the Lakers would add a high upside center to their young core. Right now, their young core is covered basically everywhere else but at center. Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart are in the backcourt, with Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma being at forward.
Robinson was a five-star recruit and No. 1 center in the class according to 247Sports. That is impressive, given the fact that DeAndre Ayton Mohamed Babma were in the same recruiting class and are expected to go in the top-six this year.
Robinson could have easily been up there as well had he attended Western Kentucky. However, he wanted to focus on his ultimate goal of making the NBA.
"“The lifetime goal of mine is to play in the NBA and I feel like forgoing my year of college and going straight to work on a day-to-day basis will help prepare me, so I can focus just on basketball and maturing,” the 7-footer said in September, per Evan Daniels of 247Sports."
If Robinson is available when the Lakers are on the clock, he would be tough to pass on. The center position could have some minutes open this season with Brook Lopez and Julius Randle both being free agents.
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If neither Lopez or Randle are retained, the Lakers will need someone to pick up the minutes in the middle. Despite being raw in some areas still, Robinson is an intriguing prospect that offers immense long-term upside.