With the Los Angeles Lakers’ season coming to an end, their focus has immediately shifted to the NBA Draft Combine as they possess the No. 25 pick. This year’s draft class is a loaded one, with one noteworthy name being North Carolina forward Caleb Wilson.
Wilson is a physical, athletic forward who likes to get downhill and projects to be a top-four pick. While L.A. unfortunately cannot draft him, the two-way prospect named Lakers legend Kobe Bryant as a player he likes to watch film on.
“Probably a lot of Kobe, a whole bunch of Kobe. That was my dad’s favorite player and mine too,” Wilson said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace too, the Bad Boy Pistons. I mean, I watch a lot of Mike [Michael Jordan] too. I mean, lately I’ve been watching Giannis a lot. I feel like closer and closer I get to the NBA, my athleticism and my size translates me to his skillset. So, I watch a lot of him, but that’s pretty much it.”
As Wilson pointed out, he does play a lot like Giannis Antetokounmpo in how much he likes to attack the basket in transition. However, he will have to work on the self-creation aspect of his game when things slow down and there’s no better way to do that than studying Bryant.
The 19-year-old certainly possesses the tools to be an efficient isolation scorer, given his seven-foot wingspan and height to shoot over defenders. At North Carolina, he had instances of operating in the mid-range with post-ups and Bryant loved to attack his opponents in that same regard.
Obviously, the Lakers legend is a one-of-one talent, so no one will play like him. But playing in the low post or mid-range is a lost art in today’s NBA. Wilson appears to be a student of the game and seeing how it translates to the professional level should make for an intriguing storyline.
Jeanie Buss: Kobe Bryant would be excited to see Luka Doncic with Lakers
Bryant’s tragic death still hurts to this day and seeing how much the Lakers have changed since is fascinating. Specifically with Luka Doncic coming into town, L.A. is looking to establish him as the next face of the franchise to get back into championship contention.
Los Angeles’ longtime governor Jeanie Buss recently spoke to how much she believed Bryant would have loved to see Doncic in a Lakers jersey. When the Black Mamba attended games during retirement, he notably showed up when the Dallas Mavericks were in town back in 2020 and the two embraced courtside.
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