The Los Angeles Lakers have taken a close look at several combo guards and forwards in the time leading up to the 2018 NBA Draft, with centers few and far between sprinkled in. On Monday, Saint Mary’s center Jock Landale was among six prospects to go through a pre-draft workout.
Having exhausted all four years of collegiate eligibility, he fits the profile of a more experienced draft prospect that Lakers director of scouting Jesse Buss believes still come with value despite younger players being touted as more attractive because of their upside.
“Just a hard-working mentality,” Landale answered when asked what he would like to take to the NBA. “I think that I’m a winner. I think my record at Saint Mary’s shows that. I think I can really compete at the next level, rebound really hard and score when I have to.”
Though confident in his abilities, Landale admitted to making necessary improvement on the defensive end of the court.
The Australian native doesn’t have strong ties to former Lakers center Andrew Bogut but does value the interaction they have had. “I actually worked out at his academy right before I went to Saint Mary’s,” Landale said. “He helped me out a little bit, good guy.”
Monday’s workout provided Landale with an opportunity to fill what’s been an offseason void. “Honestly, I just enjoyed getting up and down and playing some competitive basketball,” he said.
“I haven’t done that in a while, just because I’ve been working out at school by myself for the most part. Going up against other guys who are competitors and play really hard is a lot of fun.”
Landale averaged 21.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as a senior. He was named West Coast Conference Player, earned First Team conference honors and was also a top-five finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award.
Landale led the WCC in total points (761), rebounds (366) and field goal percentage (64 percent) last season.
