Los Angeles Lakers draft target: Daniel Oturu, F/C, Minnesota
You’re probably surprised to see a big listed here. But you have to think after Dwight Howard’s career-reviving season, it’s not crazy to believe he could demand a contract on the open market that the Lakers won’t be able to match. So with that possibility in mind, Oturu makes sense to be included here.
He is a big who plays with a lot of tenacity and cleans up the boards with regularity. His offensive game took a leap this past year as he had some success from the perimeter, shooting 36.5%, albeit in a limited sample size. Oturu also possesses a few low post moves that enable him to keep opposing big men off-balance.
Although he is a strong offensive talent, the defensive end of the floor is where he could help LA the most. He averaged 2.5 blocks per game this past season at Minnesota and has a 7’2″ wingspan that will hold up well against other NBA bigs.
I’m sure the Lakers could find a place for him even in their loaded frontcourt rotation. The inclusion of Oturu is more of a contingency plan for the departure of Howard, but it surely wouldn’t hurt for the Lakers to roll the dice on him regardless.