2 talented wing prospects the Lakers could draft in the second round

Jabari Walker

Another wing player that the Lakers brought in for a pre-draft workout was Colorado Sophomore Jabari Walker. Even though he spent two seasons in school, he is still four years younger than the aforementioned Horne.

Walker is definitely the higher-rated prospect out of the two particularly because he has more room to grow on the court. His freshman season he shot 52.3 percent from beyond the arc, but last season he came back to earth shooting a measly 34.6 percent from 3-point range on a much larger sample size.

His 3-point shooting did go down drastically, but Walker stepped up in other areas of his game. He was the Pac-12 leader in rebounding and improved on his playmaking. He was also top 10 in the nation in double-doubles with 17.

He might have similar struggles to Horne on defense because he also lacks extraordinary athleticism. But his defensive rebounding numbers suggest he knows how to use his impressive 6’9″ frame and 6’10.75″ wingspan, so he has the tools to improve on that side of the court.

The Lakers were the 18th ranked team in rebounds per game last season, making Walker’s strength in crashing the boards would instantly make an impact for them.

Signs are pointing towards Walker being available in the mid to late second round, and even some projections have him going undrafted. If the Lakers feel like the price is right, they could step in and take Walker because he has the ability to quickly become a rotation player and some upside to potentially become a starter one day.

If the Lakers did draft Walker, he would be following in his father Samaki’s footsteps wearing the purple and gold. The older Walker won a championship with the Lakers as a backup center in 2002.