NBA Draft 2014: Smart, Payton, Stauskas Expected For Friday Workout

UPDATE (12:00 PM): Along with Marcus Smart, Nik Stauskas and Elfrid Payton, the Lakers will be bringing in Aaron Gordon and P.J. Hairston, according to Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report:

Lakers set to bring Marcus Smart, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton in for second workouts tomorrow. Also Nik Stauskas and P.J. Hairston.

— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) June 19, 2014

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The Lakers are doing their due diligence ahead of next week’s NBA Draft. The team had a huge group workout two weeks ago, and worked out Julius Randle today. Now, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, they are scheduling a second group workout for Friday:

The Lakers have another group workout planned Friday. They are inviting Marcus Smart and Elfrid Payton back. Nik Stauskas also expected.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 17, 2014

This is a good sign for both Smart and Payton to be invited back. Smart has been linked with the Lakers for quite some time, and apparently impressed in the group workout.

Payton has been one of the biggest risers in the draft. Originally expected to be a late-first round selection, Payton has played his way into a possible lottery selection due to his great passing and defensive skills at the point guard position.

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Both guards have questions regarding their shooting ability, something that Stauskas doesn’t have to worry about. Some believe he is the best shooter in the draft, and he has the ability to play both guard positions. He was expected to take place in the Lakers earlier group workout, but cancelled unexpectedly.

Friday’s workout is expected to be another large group workout, much like the one they held before, and the Lakers are still working to schedule more prospects for that day.

Workouts like these allow the Lakers to see how the top prospects match up against each other, and also gives them a chance to gauge the competitiveness of the players.
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VIDEO: The Lakers Last Set Of Pre-Draft Workouts