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- Report: Golden State Warriors turn down signing Dwight Howard in favor of extra wing
- Shams mentions Lakers as he lists potentials landing spots for Buddy Hield
- Jason Kidd dishes on Kobe Bryant inspiring him to create basketball program for young women
- Jeanie Buss speaks out on death threats she got when Lakers were struggling last season before trade deadline
- Orlando Magic head coach says Paolo Banchero is combination of LeBron James, Jayson Tatum and Carmelo Anthony
- Chandler Jones brings LeBron James into the equation as he continues bizarre barrage of messages
- Damian Lillard claps back at haters who discredit Lakers 2020 bubble title: ‘Everybody else had the same opportunity’
- LeBron James sends prayers to Nick Chubb after Browns RB suffers devastating injury
- Report: Lakers waive guard ahead of training camp
Report: Kentucky big man among promising draft prospects Lakers worked out on Friday
- Updated: June 2, 2023
With the 2023 NBA Draft approaching, the Los Angeles Lakers have been starting to bring in a number of prospects for pre-draft workouts.
On Friday, they evaluated another crop of prospects, including Oscar Tshiebwe, a big man from the University of Kentucky.
Lakers pre-draft workout group for Friday:
Nadir Hifi – France
Jalen Wilson – Kansas
Morris Udeze – New Mexico
Cam Shelton – LMU
Terquavion Smith – NC State
Oscar Tshiebwe – Kentucky— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 2, 2023
Tshiebwe is originally from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and stands 6-foot-9 and weighs about 260 pounds. This season, he averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds a game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field for the Wildcats.
Although he earned All-American honors, he is expected by some to be a second-round pick in this year’s draft.
Tshiebwe is considered to be a retro big man, as he’s a widebody who is very strong, especially defensively and on the boards, and he has a pretty impressive wingspan. His offensive game is a work in progress, and he doesn’t appear to have any type of outside shot, at least at this point in his development.
The Lakers will be picking at No. 17 and No. 47 in the draft, and that will give them a real shot at getting a good player who may even be able to contribute right away. Their biggest needs are thought to be a two-way wing and help at the center position.
There is hope that 6-foot-5 Max Christie, who was a rookie this season, will be ready to crack the rotation next year, especially since he showed a surprisingly reliable 3-point shot when he got onto the court for L.A. But Christie being a consistent contributor is far from a certainty.
In addition, the team has some question marks as far as retaining some of their free agents, particularly guards D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley.
Lakers insider Jovan Buha speculated that the team may let both Beasley and center Mo Bamba leave simply in order to save money, especially with an even more punitive salary cap taking effect for next season.