Though most of the recent news regarding the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason has had to deal with either free agency or the trade market, nuggets of information about the upcoming draft are pouring in as well.
According to a recent report, the Lakers are amongst the teams interested in point guard prospect Grant Riller.
“Point guard Grant Riller has intrigued multiple teams as a prospect with high upside ahead of the 2020 NBA draft, a source told Hoops Rumors,” JD Shaw wrote.
“Riller’s crafty ability to score — particularly around the rim — has helped him become a projected early-second round pick. Some league observers have even placed the 23-year-old at the end of the first round. He has already interviewed with teams such as the [Miami] Heat (No. 20), Sixers (Philadelphia 76ers) (No. 21), [Denver] Nuggets (No. 22), and Lakers (No. 28) and [Toronto] Raptors (No. 29).”
In his four years at the College of Charleston, Riller averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
His senior year marked his most productive season, as he averaged 21.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.
Though some teams may see Riller’s age of 23 years old to be a negative in terms of his draft stock, a team that clearly has championship aspirations such as the Lakers could see it as a positive.
After all, Riller is undoubtedly far more mature than many of the teenagers in this year’s draft class. If he ends up in Los Angeles, it’s possible that he could contribute right away to the Lakers’ attempt to defend their NBA title.
With the draft just over two weeks away, it will be interesting to see what other names are connected to the Lakers ahead of the big night.
