The 2017 NBA Draft will get underway a week from Thursday on June 22 with the Los Angeles Lakers in possession of the No. 2 pick. The team’s front office has done their homework over the last few weeks getting a look at the top prospects in the draft during individual workouts.
Last week, Lonzo Ball, the player most expected the Lakers to take at No. 2, worked out for the team at the practice facility. Ball was said to be somewhat out of shape for that workout but will have an opportunity to redeem himself later this week in a second meeting with the team.
According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, Ball will meet with the Lakers brass for the second time on Friday:
Sources: Potential No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball and the Los Angeles Lakers have scheduled a final predraft meeting for Friday.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 14, 2017
Charania also stated the following about the meeting with Ball later this week, via Twitter:
“Meeting will consist of Lakers brass spending time w/ Ball during his full daily training regimen of conditioning/on-court drills.”
Apparently, this meeting will not take place at the practice facility in El Segundo, according to Tania Ganguli of the L.A. Times:
Lonzo Ball's second workout with the Lakers is being scheduled for Friday. I'm told it will not be at the Lakers facility.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 14, 2017
Along with Ball, the Lakers brass has already worked out De’Aaron Fox (Kentucky), Josh Jackson (Kansas), and are set to work out Markelle Fultz (Washington) on Thursday. Thus far, Jackson and Ball are the only players that will have met with Los Angeles twice ahead of next week’s draft.
Unless the team decides to bring in Jayson Tatum (Duke) for a look or Fox for the second time, Fultz’s workout on Thursday and Ball’s second session with the Lakers might be the last for Los Angeles as far as top prospects are concerned.