Lakers News: Big Ten Star Toplines Latest LA Pre-Draft Workout
The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to ramp up their preparations for the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft on June 22.
LA currently holds two selections in the upcoming draft, the much discussed No. 17 overall pick in the first round and a second rounder at No. 47.
In their leadup to the draft, the organization brought in another group of prospects Thursday for a pre-draft workout, per Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
The group is headlined by Matthew Mayer, who spent four seasons at Baylor before transferring to Illinois for his final year.
Mayer saw his role increase over his final two seasons, starting every game he played after coming off the bench exclusively to begin his college career.
The 6'9," 225 pound Mayer posted career bests in his final season, putting up 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest for a Fighting Illini team that reached the NCAA Tournament this past March.
While he's a decent free throw shooter at 74 percent, he does need to increase his efficiency as he shot 41 percent from the field last season, including 33 percent from deep.
His true impact comes on the defensive end where he was able to protect the paint formidably with 1.2 blocks per game, and he's athletic enough to defend on the perimeter, a valuable asset considering that the NBA has changed to a more perimeter-oriented game.
Mayer may be an option for LA as an undrafted free agent and would be a good development piece for them. He'd likely start off with the NBA G-League's South Bay Lakers.
Another name to watch in that group is former TCU guard Damion Baugh.
While he would likely be another undrafted target, Baugh steadily improved his shooting in college, namely improving his three point shooting percentage from as low as 26 percent to 33 percent by the time his college stint ended.
If he can continue on that trajectory in the pros, he could be another quality development piece for LA.
