The Los Angeles Lakers are continuing their preparation for the 2021 NBA draft by conducting workouts with six more prospects Saturday.
On Wednesday, the Lakers worked out with six players, too, ranging from guard Jason Preston to big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili.
Saturday’s slate of prospects includes Trey Murphy III, Nah’Shon Hyland, Oscar da Silva, Austin Reaves, Chaundee Brown Jr. and DJ Funderburk.
Murphy is a player the Lakers interviewed during the draft combine in late June, so seeing the Lakers bring him in for an individual workout could be a sign they have their eyes on him with the No. 22 overall pick.
Out of the six players, Murphy has the best odds of getting selected as his stock has risen since the combine, setting himself to possibly go in the first round.
Murphy is a 6’9″ forward who made 43 percent of his 3-pointers in his last season with the Virginia Cavaliers, and he would fill a hole the Lakers have with true 3-and-D wings.
Hyland is a 6’3″ guard who broke out in his sophomore season with Virginia Commonwealth University. He’s a knockdown 3-point shooter on high volume but turns the ball over more than he assists.
Silva is a 6’9″ forward who played four seasons at Stanford. He averaged a college-high 18.5 points per game as a senior to go with 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals. At this stage, he’s more of an inside scorer who can draw fouls, but his 3-point percentage could blossom if he starts attempting more.
Reaves is a 6’5″ guard who recently played for the Oklahoma Sooners as a senior and averaged 18.3 points, a college-high, 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He shot 30.5 percent from deep on 4.2 attempts, which is an area he could improve on an NBA team.
Brown, a 6’5″ guard, played three seasons for Wake Forest but went to Michigan for his senior season where he came off the bench. He averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 rebounds and shot 41.9 percent from deep on 3.3 attempts. He’s a high-energy guard that could pan out as a 3-and-D archetype if given consistent minutes.
Funderburk is a 6’10” big man who played three seasons at NC State and averaged 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds on 56.2 percent shooting in his final season. He’s attempted 3-pointers previously, which could have some potential as a stretch big, but he’d need to improve as a consistent rebounder and passer as well.
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