The Los Angeles Lakers have announced some pre-draft workouts leading up to the 2019 NBA Draft.
Across the NBA, many of the teams have been publishing pre-draft workout schedules, but not the Los Angeles Lakers. There hasn’t been any explanation as to why the workout announcements have been day-of up to this point, but the workouts are still scheduled to occur.
Starting on June 1, the Lakers worked out Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver.
As a reliable two-way player, the 20-year-old not only led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Finals but also received Big 12 Player of the Year and was 2nd Team All-American.
Grabbing attention with his impressive 45″ vertical, the 6’6 guard even had LeBron James stop by his workout.
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Culver is projected to go 5th or lower overall in the NBA Draft, but if the Lakers liked what they saw, he could always move up.
Monday, June 3, Stanford’s, Josh Sharma is set to test out the purple and gold, per his high school, Northfield Mount Herman. The 7’0 center has already been through workouts with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Atlanta Hawks.
As a senior and 2019 PAC-12 Player of the Year, Sharma brings experience that some of the younger prospects can’t. However, there are more than a dozen centers projected to get drafted before him, and he didn’t make the Top 100 cut. This workout and all of his others will be crucial for him to prove his value.
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Friday, June 7, Sportando reports that French center, Darel Poirier will be proving himself to the Lakers. He is another one who hasn’t cracked the top 100 projected players but as a current player for the Capital City Go-Go, he was one of 80 players who attended the G League Elite Camp.
Averaging a block per game and maintaining 50 percent from the field, the 6’10” center is notably athletic. While it seems unlikely he would be drafted, his style of play would compliment Moritz Wagner‘s.
With no specific date released yet, both UCF’s Tacko Fall, and Duke’s Marques Bolden are booked to workout with the Lakers in the near future.
Per Josh Robbins, Tacko Fall is another center on the Lakers’ radar. He is ranked by ESPN as the 11th best center prospect and has worked out with the Orlando Magic already, with five future workouts scheduled.
Teams can coach up a player in a variety of ways, but one advantage that can’t be taught is height. At 7’7″ with the wingspan of 8’2.25″ and a standing reach of 10’2.5″, he set all three records at the 2019 NBA Combine. If even just out of curiosity, Fall is definitely worth a look.
Finally, Ian Begley reported that Marques Bolden has the Lakers on his schedule as well. Another center with the potential to utilize his size, Bolden’s 6’11” frame is an advantage but unlikely to set him apart. Duke, of course, had a standout roster this season, per usual, and as a result, Bolden only averaged 19.1 minutes per game and wasn’t as productive as is ideal.
With the Lakers only having the 4th pick overall in the entire draft, additions to their roster will rely predominantly on free agents and trades. The draft is June 20, giving the Lakers two more weeks to sort out their only selection.