Immediately after their season came to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers went full-steam ahead in continuing to prepare for the 2018 NBA Draft. General manager Rob Pelinka was part of a contingent that went overseas for an in-person look at several prospects.
In the weeks since, the Lakers have scouted players at the NBA Draft Combine and through their own pre-draft workouts at the UCLA Health Training Center. This week has been particularly busy for the Lakers, who welcomed groups of six on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Their latest group included Dayton forward Kostas Antetokounmpo, Villanova big man Omari Spellman and Duke guard Gary Trent Jr., among others.
More workouts are ahead, including with Trent’s controversial collegiate teammate, Grayson Allen, per Bill Oram of the Southern California News Group:
Duke’s Grayson Allen will be among players to work out for Lakers on Friday, his agency confirmed. Today Lakers took a look at Kostas Antetokounmpo (of the “Freak” Antetokounmpos), among others.
— Bill Oram (@billoram) May 23, 2018
While Allen’s temperament landed him in hot water during parts of his four seasons at Duke, he was beloved by head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his Duke teammates.
Allen faces some questions on defense but is known for having a competitive spirit and being athletic. He averaged 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.6 per game during his senior season.
Allen distracted from his history of run-ins by testing well at the NBA Draft Combine, which some believe may earn him a first-round selection. The Lakers hold the 25th overall pick and 47th (second round).
They may find that Allen is a bit of reach at No. 25 overall but doesn’t quite fall to them in the second round. As a sophomore, Allen was college teammates with current Lakers forward Brandon Ingram.
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